


Unexpected Kingdom

by phoenixreal



Series: Bleach Alpha/Beta and MPreg Fics [4]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alpha/Beta, Animalistic, Bloodplay, Dominance, Extremely Dubious Consent, Knotting, M/M, Mpreg, Object Penetration, Physical Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Violence, Subtle Feminization, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 06:03:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1156010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixreal/pseuds/phoenixreal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo's Vizard training goes terribly wrong.  His hollow makes a few adjustments to his physiology, making him more hollow than human, and along with it, turning him into the most sought after hollow beta in the last hundred or more years.  A certain blue haired Espada shows up and takes him off to Las Noches, and Shinigami and Vizard follow along for the ride.  Cue a week long heat, and one very powerful beta seeking the most powerful and compatible Espada or Vizard mate...or mates as it ends up.</p><p>NOTE: I'm going to be revising this soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Vizard Training Gone Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> *waves* Hey folks, so this coming year (2017) these older, rough around the edges fics are getting some revisions. Please stay patient!
> 
> Cannon through the training with the Vizards. When Ichigo goes into his inner world to fight his hollow, something different happens. This takes Ichigo OOC after the scene with his hollow and things really go to hell from there. 
> 
> Warnings (entire story, will not repeat): Alpha/Beta relations. MPreg. Graphic DubCon and NonCon. Language. Toys/Objects. Bloodplay. Voyeurism. This is a smut fic. Like totally.  
> Comments welcome, flames will be used to feed Natsu in my other fics. Don't like this, don't read.
> 
> Don't own the characters, don't make money.

Shinji was worried about this one.  They had all done this, but Ichigo seemed different.  He watched the Hollow take over and he was curious to see what it was like.  The mask gave little away, but then most of their masks didn’t reveal what lay beneath.  He sensed something different about this hollow that inhabited Ichigo.  He glanced at Hiyori. 

“Do you think there’s anything to worry about?” he asked.

She shook her head.  “He’s powerful but…”

Just then the hollow screeched loudly, having fully transformed.  Shinji stood.  “Do you think it’s over?”

Kensei was in with him and stepped back.  They watched as the white covering began to crack and fall.  It was over.  But they frowned because underneath Ichigo looked different.  His body was white, pure white, as was his hair.  His eyes glared out from the white face with black sclera and gold irises.  And he cackled, raising his hands upward.

“Fuck you guys!” came a voice that was not Ichigo’s.  “You don’t get it, do you?”

He placed hands over the midsection.  “Ha, ya’ll get it soon.  Very soon.  Or rather, Ichigo will get it.  Ya see, I’ve altered him a bit.  Taking over his body, well, it’s allowed me to do something that my instincts been drivin’ me ta do since the day I woke up inside this mother fucker’s soul.  Don’t you get it?  He’s not like you.  Not at all.  He doesn’t just have an inner hollow like you fuckers.  I’m half his soul.  You want me to submit to him?  He’s the King alright.  But now he’s gonna be someone else’s bitch too.  Be prepared.  They’ll all fuckin’ try to claim him before the week’s up.  The smell…oh the beautiful smell will draw them from Heuco Mundo even…”

Shinji frowned.  “Who?  Who will come?”

“The alphas, dumbass.  The alphas will come and take him.  He’s the strongest fuckin’ beta born in the last hundred years.  They’ll all want him, Aizen be damned.  Instinct, pure hollow instinct will take over.  They’ll want to be the one to impregnate him with their spawn.  All of them.  And they’ll lay claim soon…you stupid shinigami, think ya know so much.  Shoulda thought twice before letting me loose on his body like this.  He’s more fuckin’ hollow now than human,” he said winking, before color began rushing back into Ichigo’s skin and hair, and his eyes bled back to white and brown.  He stood frozen for a moment before he fell face first into the floor.

Shinji glanced at the others.  Outside there was a keening of a hollow, very close.  Shinji ran to Ichigo and was almost overwhelmed by the sweet odor coming from him.  He found himself teetering on his feet then dropping to his knees, burying his face into the crook of his neck.  A sound twack to his head by a flipflop brought him up and to reality.

“Holy fuck,” he muttered, standing and stumbling backward.  “Oh…”

Hiyori glared at him.  “The hell, Shinji?”

“I…I can’t go near him…” he muttered, running into the wall behind him.  “I…I want….oh gods…I want…”

He growled suddenly, his mask forming for a moment.  He reached up and dismissed it.  “Dammit!” he said, panting hard.

Kensei’s head was tipped to the side and he moved toward Ichigo’s fallen form slowly, a growl building in his own throat.  He shook his head.  “Oh…what…he smells…so fuckin’ good…”

The girls looked between themselves.  “Shit, he wasn’t fuckin’ with us,” Hiyori said.  Rose and Hachi seemed unaffected, like them, but Love was seeming to restrain himself too.  “I think they might be Alphas, like the hollow said.  I don’t smell anything at all.  Shinji, what do you smell?”

Shinji blinked, his pupils completely blown.  “Like…like…I don’t know how to describe it…like sweet candy mixed with a musky smell and it makes me…oh…” His hands were over his crotch now and he was kneeling uncomfortably.  “Shit.”

Hiyori arched a brow at the others.  “Okay, we should probably move him.  Shinji, go take care of those hollows outside.  Wait…” 

She sensed another reiatsu coming toward them.  It was Urahara.  “Rose, get Ichigo, let’s take him out to Urahara.  Get him away from them since they appear to be rutting…”

Rose nodded, hefting the boy’s body easily and they went to the barrier.  Urahara stood outside, leaning on his cane while behind him Chad and Rukia took on a hoard of hollows of various sizes and types.  Inoue stood beside him, brow furrowed.  Rose came up, going through the barrier and handing him to Urahara.  Hiyori stood beside him, arms crossed.

“Um, what’s going on?” he asked, glancing down at the obviously uninjured but unconscious Ichigo.  His clothes looked to have been through a hell of a fight but his skin was unmarred.

“Well, we have a bit of  a problem, as you can see,” she said pointing to the hollows.

“Why?” Urahara asked, shifting the boy’s weight in his arms. 

“Well, we released the hollow, so Ichigo could gain control.  Somethng happened.  His inner hollow…it isn’t like ours.  It said it was half of his soul.  And that we had let him take control and change his body.  I don’t know enough of hollow ways to know what the hell is happening, but Shinji, Kensei and Love all say that he smells strange to them, and they’re draw to him, like want to fuck him drawn to him.  The hollow said that the hollow alphas would come to try and claim him because he’s a strong beta.  I have no idea what that means, but he said they’d want to impregnate him.  How that’s possible, I have no idea…but I suggest you get him away from the rest of the vizard.  And keep him away from hollows if this is any indication,” Hiyori said, huffing and going back into the building, followed by a shrugging Rose.

Urahara stood a little dumbstruck for a moment.  “Orihime-kun, can you check him?”

She nodded, sending out the flower fairies to check over his body.  Her jaw dropped.  “I…I don’t understand this…it…she was right.  It’s like an animal in heat,” she said finally.  “He’s releasing pheromones at an incredible rate, I can see them, and while there’s no womb like a human, there’s a…reiatsu pattern that’s never been there before.”  She glanced up as the flowers returned to their place.  “I don’t understand…how can this be?”

Urahara shook his head.  “Let’s get him back to the shoten and underground and see if we can’t barrier him well enough to block off these signals he’s sending.  I’ve got to contact Mayuri and see if he knows anything.”  He turned to Rukia and Chad to yell, “I’m going to the Shoten, come when this is under control or the others come out to fight them.”

Urahara flashed through Karakura, avoiding nests of hollows that were coming from seemingly nowhere.  He had no idea what was happening, but it was indeed Ichigo that was drawing them to him.  He burst through the door, surprising Jinta and Ururu, and headed down to the basement.  Tessai frowned and followed quickly. 

“Tessai, barrier this room with the strongest thing you’ve got.  I’m not sure what in the three worlds is happening, but there are a ton of hollows and they’re all after Ichigo right now…” he said, brushing the orange hair out of the boy’s slack face. 

No more questions, Tessai set to work.  Before long, he’d set him up on some tatami mats and was waiting for him to wake up as he heard someone approach.  He looked up to see Rukia, Renji and Orihime standing there, frowning.

Rukia was staring.  “Why does he look different?” she asked suddenly.

Renji looked down and shook his head.  “The hell…” he said, kneeling down beside him, tipping his face to the side.

Urahara hadn’t noticed.  “Hiyori said the hollow took over, said he was changing him, making him more of a hollow than a human…and that the alphas would come for him…”

Ichigo’s face had seemingly softened.  While he wasn’t entirely the most manly looking boy in the world, the angles had softened a bit and his eyes seemed to stand out more.  His hair was longer, too, brushing down his shoulders a ways now.  In the remains of his shihakuso it was obvious that his waist had narrowed and his hips were slightly wider, giving him a curve down his side. 

“Alphas?” Rukia asked, brushing a hand down his side, amazed how such a slight change completely altered his appearance.  “I don’t understand, Urahara-san.”

“I don’t either.  We’ve barriered this place, but…”

There was a loud sound upstairs and then a loud sonido was heard.  They flanked the unconscious Ichigo and looked up to see a huge arrancar…  He stood well over six feet in height and had red hair pulled to the right side of his head.  The other half looked like short black hair and he had a hollow mask’s remains across his nose.  He dropped his head and grinned at them.

“Ah, found it…” he said and lashed out, throwing everyone away from Ichigo’s prone form.

Ichigo, who hadn’t moved suddenly arched, his back bowing and a low keening escaping his lips, almost like a call.  He flopped back and was staring up at the arrancar looking at him.

“Oh, fuck no,” he said, sitting up and pushing himself away with his feet.  “No, what…oh…” he said stood, swooning as he did, reaching for his zanpakto to find it gone.  He blinked and looked around, eyes wide.  “You hollow bastard, what did you do…fuck, what the hell did you do to me…”

Before he could do anything, the tall arrancar was on him again, picking him up by his biceps and lifting him to look eye to eye with him.  Ichigo scowled at him.

“Your smell drew me, ripe and ready…you will bear my cubs, beta,” he growled, squeezing Ichigo’s arms hard, purple expanding from where he gripped him.

“Put him down!” Urahara had Benehime drawn and pointing at the arrancar.

The arrancar turned and grinned.  “Name’s Edrad Liones, and I don’t thinks so.  The beta is mine.”

Ichigo growled then, a low inhuman sounding thing that reverberated through the room, getting Edrad to turn to him.  “You reject me?” he spat at him.  Ichigo’s eyes were changing, and a half mask forming on his face, though.  Edrad frowned and Ichigo’s knee came up and connected with his jaw, surprising him and sending him tumbling backward.

“Fuck off, goddamn fraccion bastard!” Ichigo yelled, rubbing his arms where bright purple bruises were already forming.  But the voice wasn’t Ichigo’s.  When he turned to look at Urahara and the others, his eyes were black and gold, and half a mask rested on his face. 

“You aren’t worth my fuckin’ time, _teme_.  Bring me a fuckin’ espada level or I’ll kill you,” the strange voice continued.

Edrad circled the now different voiced Ichigo.  “What are you?” he asked.  “The smell is the same.  A powerful hollow beta in heat.  I don’t even smell the shinigami anymore.”

“Because I changed him, baka.  I turned him into more of me and less of him.  And now he’s going to have the fuckin’ best alpha to cub him, and it isn’t you, fucker,” he said, glaring at the arrancar.

“You’ll have me.  I’ll take you by force,” he said, arching a brow.

“Go ahead and try, fucker,” the strange Ichigo said. 

The arrancar lunged, and Ichigo dodged, and before long they were trading back and forth until finally the larger arrancar went sailing into a rock hard and didn’t move for a while.  Ichigo stood, covered in an assortment of cuts and scratches, blood running from above his eye, and growled again.  Whatever it was…it was inhuman.

“You can’t beat me, you can’t have me!  Told you, fucker!  _Not good enough_!” he called, and stalked over to where Urahara and the others stood staring.

“Ichigo?” Rukia asked softly.

“Nah, King left the building,” he said, waving his hand at her.  “Fucker thinks I’ll fuckin’ lay down for his weak ass…” he muttered, glaring as the arrancar, beaten it would seem, disappeared in a burst of sonido.

Urahara stared for a moment.  “You’re the hollow, he one inside Ichigo,” he asked finally.

“Of course, who tha else would I fuckin’ be.”  He grinned manically and laughed.  “But got one over King now.  Made him the bitch…  What he gets for making me the Horse.  Now he’s gonna have to fight until he finds the one he accepts as his mate.”

“So whoever beats him gets to be his mate?” Renji asked, slightly horrified looking at the thought.

The strange being shook Ichigo’s head.  “No, they beat him, they can fuck him, sure, but doesn’t mean he’ll take them as his mate,” he said with a shrug.  “He does get a choice.  In the mate part, anyway, not the fucking.  That’s a given.  Pretty sure he won’t enjoy that part once the espada start kicking his ass.  I’d expect them anytime that one gets back to Hueco Mundo, you know.  Fuck Aizen.  They’ll be more interested in this,” he said, putting hands on his hips and smirking at them.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Rukia said, eyes wide.  “Where’s Ichigo?”

“Well…ah, there he is.  He’s getting a bit…annoyed,” he said and jerked his head to the side.  “Oh, feisty are ya,” he cackled, as Ichigo’s hand forced its way up and started to pull at the half mask.

“Go on, damn hollow bastard,” muttered Ichigo, in his own voice, lurching back and forth, fighting with the mask briefly before sending it flying and shattering.

He stood for a second, catching his breath and then found he was being stared at.  “Okay, this…is not good,” he said quietly as his eyes rolled up in his head and began to fall forward again.  Urahara caught him this time, lowering him down.

Urahara shook his head.  “I’ve still got no idea what’s happening,” he admitted, standing up.  “Stay here with him, I’m going up to contact Kurotsuki.  Maybe he knows more about his studies in hollows since I’ve left.”

Rukia and Renji kneeled beside Ichigo, until finally his eyes flickered and he was staring up at them. 

“Ichigo?” she asked.  He blinked owlishly for a moment.

“Rukia.  Renji.  I feel…weird…” he said, brow knitting.  He looked up as Orihime and Uryu came up to him.

“I went to get Uryu,” she said, pointing to him.  “I…thought maybe he’d know something,” she said.

“What’s happened to you?” he said, kneeling beside Rukia.

Ichigo pushed himself to a sitting position and shook his head, frowning and reaching up when he realized his hair was longer.  “What the hell?” he muttered, pulling it in front of his face.  “He fuckin’ turning me into a goddamned girl or something?”

“Who?” asked Uryu again.

“The hollow…did something.  Changed me…from the inside.  I don’t understand…but I…need…” he squirmed and winced as though in pain.  “Oh, that’s…there’s another one coming…stronger…espada level…one I won’t reject immediately…I’ll fight him…he’s not getting me that easy…” he closed his eyes as if in bliss as they all felt the approaching power.  The massive reiatsu wasn’t hiding at all it was advertising itself.  “Oh, good…” Ichigo purred and his head fell backward a low keening growl reverberating from his chest, but it shook rocks loose.

Another burst of sonido and there was the same one from before, but with him stood several other arrancar and a blue haired one stood in front of them.  He ducked his head and growled in response to the low growl Ichigo had released. 

He looked behind him.  “Don’t interfere,” he said.  “No matter what, don’t touch him, he’s fuckin’ mine.  He kicked your ass, Edrad, I want a chance now.  He didn’t reject me immediately.”

The blue haired arrancar had a hole in his stomach and the reiatsu rolled off him in waves.  Ichigo breathed in deeply.  “Get back, Rukia, Renji, all of you.  Just get back…” he said and a wave of crushing reiatsu rolled off Ichigo sending a couple of the other arrancar to their knees.

Rukia grabbed Renji and drug him back, and Uryu did the same for Orihime.  Chad had remained back.  The arrancar smiled wickedly.  “Names Grimmjow Jagerjaquez, sixth espada for fuckin’ Aizen, but fuck him.  Could care less about the shinigami right now.  You’re the one he told us about.  Ichigo Kurosaki.  And you’re a fuckin’ beta.  And your ass will be mine.”

Ichigo dropped his head and hissed then.  “Only if you beat me.  And even then, we’ll see,” he said, coming to his feet and circling the taller espada.  He leaned in a sniffed deeply near his chest.  “Maybe.”  That odd, keening growl came again, not the one he’d used on Edrad, the deep growl that had rejected him.  Grimmjow, hands stuffed in the pockets of his white hakama watched him and then leaned over, burying his nose in the top of his hair and sniffing deeply, his own eyes rolling up.

“I haven’t found a beta in a long time,” he said.  “Not since I was an adjunca…”

“Found and owned are two different things,” Ichigo said carefully circling him again.  “I’m not fully hollow, you know,” he said thoughtfully.  “And it…is taking a bit to understand what’s happening.  So I’m afraid I might be doing things wrong…but I think…that’s enough…foreplay…”

With that he lunged at the taller arrancar, tackling him to the ground, and the others realized he had claws now, and was slicing through the skin of the espada’s chest viciously.  Grimmjow flipped him over and was on top of him then, holding his hands above his head now.  He grinned, then Ichigo slammed a knee into his crotch, getting a mewl of pain and flipped them again, this time biting hard into his arm, getting a startled yelp.  Grimmjow grabbed his hair and yanked him back off him and flung him into the nearest rock formation before jumping forward after him.  He was sent flying backward moments later, landing in front of the group.  He got to his feet, grinning, as Ichigo stalked out, his nails extended into long black claws.

“Kitten has claws,” he muttered and lunged forward again, getting a slice through his thigh this time.

Ichigo’s eyes had bled into the black and gold again, but the mask wasn’t formed, so it seemed he was still himself.  He was just answering to the hollow instincts that were coiling around his soul.  He dodged and struck again, blood dripping from several open wounds on the espada.  They noticed that Ichigo wasn’t bleeding yet, except where he’d hit the boulders.

“You’re not trying to hurt him,” Uryu observed when Grimmjow came to a skidding stop near him.

He snorted.  “Hurt him?  No, what would that do?  No, I won’t hurt him, not really.  Subdue him long enough to fuck him, yes, then get the fuck away before he kills me,” he said and leaped forward again, tackling him to the ground, trying desperately to get purchase on the ground and his body.  It wasn’t working to well.

He was thrown again and he let out a frustrated growl.  “Oh, all the more satisfying when I get my hands on you, sweetheart,” he said, and launched himself at him again.  Ichigo was having none of it, dodging and flinging him away, skidding to a stop, panting in front of Rukia and Renji.

“Can we help you?” Rukia asked, frantic since he didn’t have his zanpakto.  He shook his head. 

“They’ll stop you,” he panted, pointing to the four other arrancar.  “And the one I fought earlier is enough to do some damage.  Just wait it out.  Only two answers.  I beat him and he leaves…or I don’t…and well…I guess you figured out what happens then…” he said, his voice shaking a bit.

“You’re okay with this?” Renji asked.  “With what happens if you lose?”

Ichigo shook his head.  “That’s why I’m trying to not lose to him, _teme_.  But can’t…stop it…hollow won’t let me…on fire right now…feels like all my nerves are going off…”  He was panting still with the exhertion.  Unlike Grimmjow, he wasn’t fresh having fought the other one off.  “There’ll be more…he’s only the first after all…beginning to understand…fuck this sucks…” he said, dodging as Grimmjow lunged for him, this time catching one of his ankles and dropping him to his face with a frustrated yell as he was yanked backward.

He scrabbled for purchase in the dirt until Grimmjow was over him again.  This time he couldn’t get him off.  He yelled at him, struggling against him for a long minute until he completely relaxed under the grip, throwing up his head, revealing his neck to the alpha over him.  Grimmjow grinned and leaned down, sniffing his neck and then biting down, a loud purr from Ichigo. 

“Gotcha,” Grimmjow said as he lapped at the bleeding flesh of his neck.

Ichigo glared up at him as Grimmjow sat back on his heels staring at his conquest.  He reached down and yanked him up by his wrist and pulled him to stand.  Ichigo slumped against him and Grimmjow smirked at the shocked looking group beside him.  He waved at them, wrapping arms around Ichigo and disappearing in a sonido up the exit.  The four arrancar soon did the same.

“Shit!” Renji said.  “We’ve gotta find him.  Come on, can’t be too hard to follow that level of reiatsu.” 

They all got upstairs and found Urahara waiting.  “What is it?”

“An espada, Grimmjow, got down there with his buddies, one of them the one Ichigo fought already, and fought Ichigo but he lost, so he took Ichigo and left with him,” Rukia explained.

Urahara nodded sadly.  “Not much we can do to help him…” he said softly.

“What?” Renji asked.

“I’ve talked to Kurotsuki-taichou.  He filled me in on what his research has uncovered with regard to the way hollows act.   They mate for life, and if they do, they produce offspring, gender is usually not an issue, as most hollows have no particular gender, and they’re made up of souls, after all, consisting of both.  The issue is formed in a reiatsu chamber from one of the souls present in the body of the alpha of the pair.  The alphas overpower the beta, and if they are accepted, the pregnancy takes place.  If they aren’t accepted as the mate, there is no issue.  And it can happen many times before a beta accepts a mate…” he said softly.

“Can’t we, I don’t know, lock him up or take him to soul society?” Rukia asked.

Urahara shook his head.  “The pheromones he’s releasing will lead hollows wherever he goes.  The hollow triggered something like a heat is in animals.  Until he’s mated, it won’t stop.  And the longer it takes, the more likely he’ll get killed along the way, and if he never takes a mate…he’ll lose his mind completely.  We don’t know how long that would take with Ichigo-kun, because it varies with hollows Kurotsuki-taichou has experimented on.  The ones he found and separated that were in heat would devour themselves eventually if kept away from alpha hollows.  The weaker the hollow, the faster they degenerated.  So we have that in our favor.”

“But you mean, he’s just going to have to sleep with every single one he can’t beat in a fist fight?” Renji blurted.  “He…has he even done that before?”

Chad was the one to answer from behind them. “No.  Ichigo has never been with a man or woman.”

They looked at the silent man and nodded.  “I don’t think I’d wish anyone this as a first experience,” Urahara muttered.

He was fixed with a group of looks.  He shifted uncomfortably.  “Well, you see, hollows are more like animals…and…well…when the hollow terms what they do as crassly as he does, it is perhaps the most accurate explanation.  There’s no ‘love’ in this.  It is a singular force of animal desire to procreate.  Even in the absence of necessity, just like the hollows desire to devour, this desire remains…I don’t think they will hurt him…permanently, that reduces the chance of procreating, but if he resists them…”

Renji sighed.  “We need to find him.  Now.  Before this espada does something bad to him because we all know Ichigo will resist.”

Urahara shook his head.  “He may not.  He isn’t entirely in control at the moment.  The instincts that the hollow released will have a sway on what happens.  He may do as he is supposed to do, submit to the one who has bested him in an attempt to prove he is worthy to mate…”

“Oh, he could be Ichigo, and fight despite instincts that are made to preserve his life,” Rukia supplied.

“There is that possibility…” Urahara said with a sigh.

But then, Urahara lifted his head up.  “A garganta…” he said softly.  He locked eyes on the others as they flashed out of the room, leaving the more human individuals behind, frowning.

Rukia and Renji were just behind Urahara as they stopped just in time to watch the blue-haired espada stepping into it with Ichigo slung over his shoulder, obviously unconscious.

“Where do you think you’re taking him?” Renji yelled, pointing Zabimaru at him.

Grimmjow smiled at him.  “Taking him to Las Noches.  That’s where his mate will be found, baka.  Unless you want all ten of us espada and half the arrancar in Hueco Mundo roaming all over your little town?”

Urahara crinkled his brow.  “He’s right,” he said out loud.  “Ichigo will only draw more and more powerful arrancar and possibly vasto lorde that have evolved on their own into our realm.”

Rukia paled.  “You’re not taking him there by himself!”

Grimmjow groaned.  “Fuck, midget.  What do you want me to do?  If he doesn’t accept me they’ll be coming out of the woodwork, and when they start fighting _each other_ how much of this place will be left?”

“I’m going with him!” she announced, sheathing her sword.

“What?” Grimmjow laughed.  “What do you think, his handmaiden?”

She shook her head.  “Whatever you want to call me, but he’s not doing this alone.  I’m going with him, to make sure he’s safe, and keep you from hurting him any more than you already will.  He’s important to you for some reason?”

Grimmjow cocked a hand on a hip.  “Yeah, he is.”

“Why?” she asked.

Grimmjow reached up and cleaned an ear with his pinky.  “Because we fuckin’ hate Aizen.  We got your problem, fuckin’ shinigami bastard on a power trip.  Well, we may not be powerful enough to face him alone.  But we’ll do anything to protect a powerful beta, even someone else’s.  You don’t get it?  His hollow is a fuckin’ vasto lorde.  That’s why he is so damned powerful.  Whoever he mates with will probably become king of Heuco Mundo.  And I want to be king.  Fuck Aizen.”

“So yeah, I’m going with him,” she said, looking at Renji’s worried face.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll be safe with Ichigo.  You guys work on how to help him.”

Grimmjow rolled his eyes.  “Look, come on, midget.  I haven’t got all day to fuck him and hope he takes me before the rest get their shot.  But you do what I say there, or you’ll end up dead.  I’ll bring her back if he takes me.  If he doesn’t, who knows.”

He stepped through with Rukia on his heels, leaving both Urahara and Renji blinking as it slammed shut.

Urahara looked at Renji and exclaimed a truly rare explitive.  “Well, fuck.”


	2. Blue Zone

Ichigo woke with a start, eyes widening and staring up at cyan blue ones. Grimmjow, he remembered. He was on top of him, and they were…in a bed…in a white room. Last he remembered was a sickening twist as the sonido took him and he passed out cold. What the hell is it with all the passing out, he wondered….

_You're half human, King. Still getting used to the overcharge to the senses. Brain short circuits when it gets too much to handle. It will go away._

He groaned then, arching against Grimmjow who was on hands and knees, caging him in place below him. He leaned down and sniffed deeply into his neck where he'd bitten before. His entire body was tingling it seemed, fire shooting up his arms and legs in waves, and the stupid purring growl started in his throat again. He was not happy with the way things were going. He did _not_ want this, but it seemed the hollow was going to make sure it happened.

"Fuckin' hell," Grimmjow muttered, biting on the wound again and sucking hard, getting a pained whine from Ichigo's throat. "Never thought I'd be so…hot and bothered by a beta…"

Ichigo writhed upward, feeling the need growing in his stomach and curling down to his toes. His eyes went wide as he realized that he felt really strange all over. He shook his head suddenly, pushing the instincts away. Wait a minute, this was not what he signed on for at all. He was not about to let some arrancar…do that.

"No, no," he muttered, "Get off!" he said, shoving upward with his hands on the larger arrancar's shoulders. "Stop, no," he said, shaking his head.

Grimmjow's face twisted into one of anger. "What? You accepted me, you little bitch, and I am going to take what you offered."

Ichigo's eyes went wide and he shoved with sudden strength and tumbled off the bed to the floor, scrambling away on hands and knees. It was at that point he realized that Grimmjow had apparently also removed the remains of his shihakuso as well.

"Oh no, no…" he muttered, attempting to get to his feet, but his ankle was grabbed hard and yanked, his arms buckling and face smashing into the floor under him. He yelped as pain exploded in his nose and mouth and blood gushed from both.

He scrambled his hands for anything to get a hold of to yank his foot away but found himself yanked up by his hair harshly. He glared at the espada and fought the hand gripping his head. Why was he so much weaker?

_You're submitting, King. You can't fight him off anymore. He won._

"S-Stop," he whimpered, his head craned painfully to the side now. "P-please…I've…never…" He was on the edge of hyperventilating and he felt his breath drawing into him far too slow and not enough was reaching his brain. Spots were dancing already.

Grimmjow frowned then let his hair go and swept him up onto his lap, sitting him against him as he held his head down, trying to get his breath.

"What?" he muttered, frowning now. "You're telling me you've really never done this?"

He shook his head weakly, not sure what to do. He didn't know what he _could_ do because he didn't want to get hurt. He was still panting for breath, both hands curled against his chest, Grimmjow holding him with a hand on his back and one on his leg. He heard him sigh, and he put one arm around his back and tucked him under his chin. "Okay, breathe, okay, you don't want to pass out again," he said finally, moving his hand along the smaller shinigami's back.

"I can't…I don't know what's happen…I've never done these things, felt these things, and now all of a sudden I'm different than I was six hours ago!" he finally said softly. "I wasn't a hollow, I wasn't a shinigami, I wasn't human, even before, now I don't know what I am," he said with a sad whimper.

Grimmjow, to his credit, was surprised with himself. He had expected to have been dumping the little beta out the door by this point, having fucked him senseless. But no, he was giving him time to get used to the idea of what was happening. But he was crying against him now, and Grimmjow had no clue how to deal with this situation. At some level, the heart he didn't have seemed to beat again in sympathy for the beta on his lap. He was his first, in more than one way. Well, there wasn't any getting out of the situation for the kid, whether he cried or not. But Grimmjow supposed that having a willing partner was better than an unconscious one, and the kid obviously would make himself pass out if he wasn't careful.

"I know you're scared, but it will be okay. You're on a quest, remember? Think of it like that. To find the mate that fits you best, both inside and out. And it kinda sucks that you have to go through fighting and fucking them all until you figure it out, but that's the way it is with us. And like it or not, until you have a mate, this doesn't stop," Grimmjow said, turning him to straddle his lap and face him. "You are something special. Whoever you choose, they'll be the most powerful arrancar in Heuco Mundo. And they'll tear the world apart for you."

Ichigo wiped a hand across his eyes, feeling decidedly girly for crying. It was so weird…he never cried. "What…what about Aizen?" he said softly. "Isn't he in charge here?"

Grimmjow gave a wicked grin. "He thinks he is. But the truth is we hate him with more fury than he can imagine, coming in here and taking over like this. No, he's done once you're mated. Especially if you mate one of us espada. But I'm sure that you'll end up with one of us. The powers we hold and are capable of are great."

Ichigo leaned forward and buried his head into the larger arrancar's neck and breathed in the deep, heady musk. "I feel so different," he said. "I want to make you happy, I want…to submit but I'm so scared…" he said with a choking sound at the end.

Grimmjow ran a hand over his head. "Don't worry, come, lay down here," he said, turning him and laying him back on the bed. Ichigo looked up, and Grimmjow smiled at him, not his usual smirk, a genuine smiled.

Grimmjow figured it best to go slow with him for the first time, though his entire body was practically vibrating and begging him to just shove his aching cock into him and fucking him into the mattress until he screamed. But no, violence would not beget a kingdom. Not at all. And if he made this good, he had a better shot when the week's worth of heat was up. He wondered if the hollow'd explained that. That it lasted a week, and until the end, he'd end up fighting and fucking every one that came to him, and at the end, he'd go back to the one he wanted to mate with. Well, he'd find out soon enough, he though, grinning as he bit down lightly on the small, rosy nipple presented in front of his eyes. He arched and that luscious purr came from him again. A hollow trait, one that proved how much closer to hollow he'd been made.

He growled in response, the sound vibrating his chest as he trailed his tongue down the abdominals and paused at his navel, dipping his tongue inside and swirling it around until he was writhing under the ministrations. He smirked and followed the soft orange fuzz down to the thicker hair curling around his more than ample cock. He was well endowed, especially for a beta. Most of the male betas he'd seen had been…unfortunate in the equipment department. Ichigo, it seemed, had a little human that helped him along in that area. He grinned and sucked the half hard member into his mouth. His minimal state of arousal showed the fear that was lacing through him. He supposed he couldn't blame him. Grimmjow had been like this as long as he could remember. Having it suddenly change and be like this, that had to be odd.

A gasp came from him and he bucked upward, his cock hardening significantly in Grimmjow's mouth. He smiled around him and ran his hands down his inner thighs. He felt the muscles quivering beneath the flesh. He pressed them further apart and then pulled off him with a wet pop and flipped him quickly, getting a surprised yelp at the sudden motion. He put a steadying hand on his midback, and trailed fingers down the crevice, pressing lightly at the hidden entrance, and he grinned. To be the first one…that meant something even if he wasn't chosen in the end. He could tell the beta's hormones were working, because he caught the shine of moisture. He ran his finger down to the scrotum and back up across the perineum and then pressed against the rosy puckered hole again. There was quiet above him but when he pulled away, he moved closer to his hand.

"Hmm, do you like this?" he murmured, caressing each area again.

"Ugh," was the only response he seemed able to articulate.

He pressed his index finger into the hole, getting a jerk out of him from the soft intrusion. He squirmed, and Grimmjow felt the dampness within. It wasn't like a female, but it was more than normal for a male. Enough for mating. A moment passed, and he added the second, hearing a whimper from above him. Fuck, he thought, working his fingers around, it was tight. The muscles had never been stretched, he could easily tell. Even with the fast healing of hollow and shinigami, it was still obvious when it was a virgin. So he carefully pulled his fingers apart and slipped a third inside. This time the moan of pain was louder, and he tensed up a lot.

"Hey, hey, bear back on me, and relax…" Grimmjow said, reaching in front and grasping his flagging erection. It worried him a bit. His cock was significantly larger than his three fingers were… But it wouldn't change things. The pain would pass.

He worked his fingers in and out for a long time, it seemed, opening him up. Then he crooked his fingres and began to feel around until he practically impaled himself backward on his hand with a thick gasp. Well, that was sensitive, he thought to himself, leaving it alone for now, and pulling his fingers out very slowly. He pulled his hips up and watched, fascinated by his body's responsiveness. He groaned under him and he flipped him again. Ichigo looked up surprised by the change.

"I want to see you while I fuck you," Grimmjow explained and guided himself to the entrance. "Bear through it, it will hurt a little at first, but relax and it won't hurt that much."

He didn't give him any further warning before he slid in, slowly but steadily, all the way. He stopped when he felt their bodies touch at the hip and he sighed. Ichigo's eyes were watering and he had bitten down on bent index finger of his right fist hard enough to send blood dripping. Grimmjow leaned over him, adjusting his legs a bit, pulling them upward to get the angle better. He bent him at the knees and pressed forward even deeper into the body getting a gasp and a slight arch of his back. He knew he'd just brushed against the sensitive bundle of nerves. So he pulled back out slowly then angled for that spot again, and he moaned deeply, the sound mixing with the purring sound he had made before.

Grimmjow smiled, sliding out and back in slowly again, watching the body twitch and clench around him. It was fucking fantastic. He didn't think anything he'd ever fucked felt this good. He leaned down and began to suck and lick at his collar bone and neck and set a slow and steady rhythm, thrusting deep and pulling nearly out with each one. Finally he was writhing in pleasure instead of pain and whispering for him to go faster, move faster… He complied, sitting up again, and pulling his legs up to his shoulders and bending him forward, slamming deep and fast against his sweet spot again and again. The shinigami was a writhing, moaning mess below him, tears falling still but he was making the purring sound nearly constantly, his nails digging into Grimmjow's legs with those wicked black claws, marking him as one of his potential mates. Finally, he knew he wouldn't last, so he slipped his hand between and jerked him softly a few times and he came with a scream when he drilled into his prostate directly one last time. Grimmjow was already following when the channel tightened so much he couldn't move anymore. He groaned and released, filling the body under him with his seed and reiatsu to mark his claim for any that would come after him. He fell to the side of him, not wanting to put all his significantly more weight on top of the beta, and panted out.

Ichigo was staring at the ceiling panting for breath, but this time he wasn't passing out. Everything had been intense, far more than he thought it could be. He'd thought of sex, of course, but he'd never really been with a person he wanted to try it with. And this was certainly not what he had in mind for his first time, but still, it hadn't been too awful, though it had hurt at first.

"Thank you," he finally said, turning his head to stare into the cyan blue eyes of the sexta espada.

Grimmjow frowned. "For what?"

"For being kind when you didn't have to be," he said, and his eyes fluttered closed in sheer exhaustion.

For a while, the instincts would calm, and he could rest. But Grimmjow knew that the moment he woke up, he would be restless and leave, seeking a new fight. He pulled the cover over him and held him against his chest. The mating would be different than rutting in heat. Mating included another stage to ensure connection and implantation of the child, that of knotting. Something that didn't happen for either an alpha or beta until they mated for life. He sighed, running a hand over his orange hair. Never had he expected to actually want to take a life mate. It would be six more days before he would choose though. Six long days of watching the others take their fights with him, and take him to their beds before the heat let up and he chose. His non-existent heart wanted Ichigo to choose him. He was a mate he could spar with, fight with, could handle his cubs, and could be a leader and liaison with Soul Society once they ousted Aizen. Which they would by the time it was over.

There was a knock at the door then. He got up, pulling his hakama on and tied the obi. He opened the door with a curt "What is it?" to see Ulquiorra standing there. The moment the door opened, his brow wrinkled and his eyes fluttered slightly. It was the most emotion Grimmjow had ever seen on the cuarta espada.

"What is that?" he said, pushing Grimmjow aside and seeing the orange haired bundle sleeping in the bed. "A beta? You found a beta? A strong beta…"

"Yeah, yeah, well, what do you want?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Aizen wants to see you…" he said, eyes never leaving the form in the bed.

"Yeah, you'll get your chance. I fought him earlier today and earned the right. Now let him sleep; he beat off Edrad before me, and he gave me one hell of a fight before he submitted. He's under my protection at the moment until he wakes and is ready to seek his next possible mate," he said, grabbing his jacket and glaring at Ulquiorra.

He nodded and they both left, walking toward the main room. "Where did he come from? He looks familiar…" he said thoughtfully.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, that orange haired substitute soul reaper," he said with a sigh.

Ulquiorra stopped. "What? How is he a hollow beta?"

Grimmjow smiled. "He has a hollow that shares his soul, and he made some alterations to answer the instincts. I guess it was time for his heat and the hollow was tired of waiting. And he's strong. Whoever he takes as a mate is sure to rule Heuco Mundo with no challenge."

Ulquiorra nodded. "Indeed. Aizen would be meaningless…he is meaningless now."

Grimmjow and the deadpan curata hardly got along but they both understood this situation all too well. "Look, if you come by when he wakes, he may take you on as a possible match, then you can have your shot with him. If he doesn't choose me, I'd rather he choose you than someone like Zommari or Barragan."

His green eyed companion nodded. "Yes, of course, we still have the primera to deal with, he does not know yet."

They entered the large confrence room Aizen had set up, around the table the other espada were already seated. Grimmjow sighed. "Grimmjow, you went to the world of the living, why?" he demanded. Tousen and Gin flanked him.

"Edrad came back after being defeated by a beta. I went to retrieve him," he said simply.

Around him, the others stared. Aizen frowned. "You went to get someone to have sex with?" he asked simply.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes, the other espada instantly understanding. "No, I can do that here. I went to get a powerful beta. There's a difference."

"I see none."

"Well," he said, indicating the rest of the espada, "We all know what the difference is. He will be capable of bearing powerful children the likes of which will eclipse even the strongest of us."

Aizen raised an eyebrow. "And you've claimed him?"

Grimmjow snorted and Nnoitra couldn't hold in a laugh. "Just started tha heat, Grimmjow?" asked Nnoitra.

"Today," he confirmed. "I got first claim, though. What you get for staying here all the time. I found him first, I fought and beat him, so I fucked him first."

"Well, then we got six days ta convince him that we're better than you," he responded.

Aizen sent out a pulse of reiatsu, which for some reason didn't have the intended reaction. They all turned and glared at him. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Stark yawned loudly. "Hollow betas are in heat for seven days. At the end of seven, they choose the best of those they've 'tested' by fighting and having been claimed by. Grimmjow's had his turn, so now the rest of us will get a chance. We fight him in battle first, then if we beat him, we get to lay our claim to him, and he to us as his potential mates. Then, in the end, he'll go to the one of us he chooses, the strongest and most compatible to him."

Aizen shook his head. "Do not let this dalliance interfere in your duties," he commented.

"You don't understand, Aizen-sama," Barragan said from his seat. "This is more important than any command you will ever give."

All three shinigami stared at them. Each espada had a hard look on their face, and Aizen knew that he couldn't risk having a total mutiny on his hands. He would punish them all later. Now, he waved his hand at them. "Whatever you say, if you intend to take the week off, do so. But I will expect harder work when you return from your fun."

A collective smirk went around the table. All of them intended to enjoy their fun quite a lot…


	3. Vizard Companions

Rukia was shaking by the time she was let out of the adjoining room back into where Ichigo was sleeping. She shuddered at what she'd heard. At least…he had been kind to Ichigo. That was more than she had expected. She moved over to the bed and crinkled her nose at the smell of sex that permeated the room. Both of them released some sort of strong pheromone that seemed to ward off the others from bothering him after the claiming session. Wow, she sighed. She went into the bathroom and drew a hot bath. She figured he would need it, and she set about looking for clothes. For some reason, his Shihakuso wasn't mending. But there were no clothes. She went over and gently shook his shoulder.

"Oh, fuck," he muttered, groaning deeply. "The hell…"

"Ichigo, you should go take a hot bath, it will help," she said softly, smiling at his pinched look.

He blinked wearily a few times and slowly focused on her. "Rukia? Why are you here? How? I don't even know where here is…"

Rukia sighed. "Heuco Mundo. Grimmjow brought you here to find your mate, and I came to keep you safe.

"I feel like I was hit by a train…why does my back hurt so much…and…ow…" he said, swinging his feet over the edge and grimacing, falling backward on the bed. "Fuck!" he exclaimed.

"Easy," she tried, her face turning red a bit since he was naked under his sheet. "Come on, bath will help, you'll feel worse if you just stay there…besides you smell like sex so bad I'm about to retch."

He blinked slowly, his mind finally catching up to the present and his hand went to his mouth, a gagging sound in his throat as he scrambled from the bed, holding the sheet with the other. A moment later he was violently emptying his stomach into the toilet. She followed him, grimacing as he dry heaved into it.

"Ugh, that was real, oh gods…" he moaned, resting a head on his arm. "I hoped it was a nightmare."

He shifted uncomfortably on his legs and sighed. "This…this sucks," he said, looking up at her. "Why does this stuff happen to me? Why couldn't I be a regular teenager? One that couldn't see ghosts or have hollows after me or my family? And now I'm…I'm a fucking whore to these things, being driven to it by some instincts I've got to answer to or else…"

"Or else?" Rukia asked, kneeling beside him.

"I don't know. I just know…ignoring what I have to do will end badly for me. Like dead, badly…I just know it. I have to…keep looking…find the best, the strongest…and this is so stupid! Where is this coming from? I feel like a goddamned woman, worried about who's going to father the cub!" he said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Get in the bath, Ichigo," she said, softly.

He nodded and stood up. Rukia turned he back as he slid into the water hissing loudly as he sat down. "Ow, fucking ow…"

She smiled and picked up the sheets, noting the blood stains on them. She didn't comment but wasn't surprised. She knew from discussions with others that it wasn't without pain and discomfort for men.

There was a knock at the door then and she smiled at him and went to answer it. She looked up to find herself staring at a blond arrancar with a shirt that covered the lower half of her face.

"You are his shinigami protector," she said.

"Um, I guess, not that I can do much against all Aizen's espada…" she said.

"I am Halibel, Tercerea Espada. I will speak with him," she said and walked into the bathroom. He heard her enter but didn't move. "Rukia I'm fine, let me alone."

"I am not Rukia," she said, and he started, turning his head to the blonde arrancar, eyes wide.

"Tercerea espada, Halibel," she supplied and stared at him. "I have beta under me as fraccion. I wanted to help you understand your situation. Grimmjow said you were only recently changed into this."

Ichigo nodded. "You have one week. In that week, you will fight and lay claim to as many alphas as you see fit. Only those that beat you will be allowed to claim with you. Of those, when the heat is over, you will choose the one you wish to mate for life with. I am to assume you will mate once. But considering your power potential…I may be wrong. It is rare, but exceptionally powerful betas, especially males, sometimes take two mates. Both are equal in their rank of their beta. Whoever you mate will be allowed to knot with you, such as some animals do. During sex, a bulge forms inside, blocking the release of the fluids and reiatsu from your body and ensuring implantation of the soul you will carry."

Ichigo swallowed. "So, there's no wait and get pregnant later, huh?"

She tipped her head to the side. "Of course not. The purpose of the heat is that you will answer the animalistic need to procreate. There is no denying it."

Ichigo sighed deeply, staring at the water. "This sucks."

The blonde arrancar tilted her head. "You realize that you will rule, do you not?"

Ichigo lifted his head. "What?"

"You will be one of the lords of Hueco Mundo when this is over. You will rule over the hollows beside whoever you take as mate. Or mates."

"Mates? Wait, what do you mean, mates?" he said, looking up.

"Betas of superior power sometimes choose two mates, as I said. It will depend on how much potential for power you have," she answered and then turned and left, leaving a very morose shinigami.

oooooo – Vizard Warehouse – oooooo

Hiyori was about to yank her hair out. Shinji, Kesei, and Love were impossible to deal with at the moment. More than usual. All of them were spoiling for fights and spent time arguing with each other and sparring with more force than necessary. She also noted a drastic increase in the time their masks remained. So, she had called Urahara.

"What the hell is happening?" she asked as they watched Kesei and Shinji go at it above them in the warehouse.

"I think it was Ichigo's influence," he said quietly. "This could be a problem. They're going to tear each other apart…" Urahara said as he watched the back and forth.

"But they aren't hollows or arrancars."

"The unification of your inner hollow and your shinigami makes you closer to what the arrancar are than we thought…" he said thoughtfully. "Get them to stop and I think we're going to have to send them after him."

"What?" she said, staring at him. "What about Aizen's threat?"

"I think that the arrancar are more concerned with the beta that Ichigo's become," he said.

Eventually, she got the three incredibly aggressive vizard to come down to see Urahara. All three glared at each other. So Urahara sighed.

"Any of you figure out what got you so worked up?" he asked.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, been like this since you left with Ichigo. Seems that we're not immune to whatever it was he triggered initially."

Hiyori glared. "You knew?"

Kensei crossed his arms. "Of course, Hiyori. Because it is so damned distracting we've been putting the aggression into sparring, but it's not working."

"Then," Urahara began. "We have one choice. Send you to Heuco Mundo with the rest. If what Mayuri has come across indicates that if you area all answering the hollow urges…there's a chance, a small one, but still there, that you'd suffer the same fate as the unmated alphas that had been exposed to and kept from beta hollows. They ended up turning extremely violent to the point of having to be terminated. It seems once an alpha has caught scent of a beta, they either are rejected or accepted as a potential mate, and until that has happened, they are…in aggressive stance."

Lisa and Hiyori were both staring at him. "You mean, just open a garganta and send them on through where the arrancar and Aizen are?" Hiyori blurted.

"No, I think we should go together, Hiyori, and them, and I'll head the team. Because Soul Society would not approve this course, they already had a difficult time with Rukia and Ichigo going. At least this way, we can keep an eye on both of them," he said. "Come to the shoten, and we'll go."

Two hours later they found themselves appearing outside Las Noches in Hueco Mundo. As soon as they stepped out, all three of the alpha vizards were on alert, taking off immediately for Las Noches.

"Follow them," Urahara said, flashing after them.

Urahara stopped to find Shinji glaring at the blue haired arrancar.

"I see you couldn't resist," Grimmjow said, arching a blue brow.

Shinji growled at him, his eyes shifting colors for a moment. "Seems so. You claimed him already."

"I did. I was first to beat him. So I'm first to claim him. My scent is almost gone, so we'll see who has second claim. He'll reject you. You aren't strong enough," Grimmjow said, walking back into the building.

Shinji followed, and the rest followed. Grimmjow led them to a room. He gestured. "Here. Stay here. And don't worry about the fuckin' shinigami bastard and his cronies. Rukia is down in my room, the one with my number marked on it, with the beta. He has six days left."

"Six days?" Urahara asked.

Grimmjow sighed. "Six more days of the heat phase. Then he chooses. Whoever has beaten him, and whoever he decides is best, he'll return to at the end, and they'll knot him, and cub him. That's the way it works. And whoever does it…well, let's say Aizen won't be king for long around here."

With that, he wandered off. Urahara headed down the long hallway to find the door marked with a six. He knocked and heard Rukia's voice inside. He smiled at her shocked expression when she opened it.

"Urahara-san! What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Seems the vizard weren't immune. It was bring them here before they killed each other… How is Ichigo?" he asked, not seeing him.

"Confused, angry, and really starting to get antsy," she said, glancing back as Ichigo came out, towel around his waist and drying his hair with another.

"Rukia, did they bring me any goddamned clothes?" he said before he looked up and saw Urahara. "Getabishi," he said nodding to him, then his face fell and his eyes rolled upward, the low keening growl escaping suddenly.

"Oh boy," Urahara said. "I think they're…" he turned as the rest of the vizard had entered the room, following the three alphas of the group. Rose stood back against the wall, arms crossed, watching with amusement.

Shinji, Kensei and Love each moved forward and surrounding Ichigo, who'd forgotten he was drying his hair. He glared at all three of them in turn as they circled him. He then shot off in a burst of sonido, surprising the entire group. The three vizard followed. Urahara stared for a moment then glanced at the others. "Rukia, go to the room with them, I'll keep an eye on this…" He then flash stepped away after the signatures.

He found them soon after in an open room, having resumed the stances. The difference was it seemed Ichigo's shihakuso was completely returned to normal. Ichigo then moved, stepping forward and sniffing the air around Love first. He circled him twice then growled, the low throated growl that he'd given Edrad. Apparently, he was rejecting Love. Love's eye twitched, and he had a feeling if the vizard weren't more shinigami than hollow, there would have been a fight like with Edrad. Instead he stepped back, dropping to his knees to wait for what else came of it.

Next, Ichigo moved to circle Shinji, and as long as he'd known the ex-captain, he'd never seen him so wound up. It was like every muscle in the shinigami's body was strung tighter than a drum. This time, Ichigo circled a third time and gave him the approving growl, the purring growl that indicated he was good enough, right before he leaped and tackled Shinji to the ground. Love stood and flashed to where Urahara stood beside the door. Kensei looked on edge still, but he left Shinji and Ichigo, having not been rejected, but not accepted yet either. Love appeared relaxed, now.

"Better?" he asked them.

Love shook his head. "It was weird, the minute he made that sound; it was like I returned to my head. Before that, it was like the instincts were burning me alive. For a moment it was stinging from the rejection, then the rest of my mind took over again. Very strange," he said, watching the fight, and glancing at Kensei who's eyes were riveted to the fight between them. If Ichigo beat Shinji, he would have his chance to fight him.

Ichigo and Shinji were trading blows again, Ichigo's claws leaving bloody trails anywhere they touched. His eyes had altered, once again to the black and gold, and Urahara saw that Shinji's eyes had shifted too. Once again, Shinji was moving to subdue, not hurt. Ichigo, on the other hand seemed to have no qualms, landing hard blows and swiping with his black claws. Finally Ichigo flashed upward, only to be met by Shinji suddenly, throwing him down and off balance, sending him rolling into the wall. Shinji was on him in a second, trying to pin him down, but then Ichigo threw him off and tried to leap away. But Shinji had other ideas, he reached up and snatched the obi and yanked, the obi coming loose and Ichigo's hakama slipping off, tripping him. He let out frustrated yell, and tried to gather himself up only to be pinned flat by Shinji who was on top of his back. He struggled for a moment again, like with Grimmjow and then stopped, relaxing against the floor, dropping his head to the side and exposing his neck where Grimmjow's mark was still red. Shinji growled and bit down beside the first bite.

Urahara looked at the other two vizard. "Something tells me we should go…" he said, seeing the way Shinji had already started grope Ichigo, completely ignoring the fact they weren't alone. Kensei shook visibly but followed Urahara away.

Ichigo came back to himself and felt someone laying over his back, and felt a hard erection digging into his leg. He gasped. "What?"

"Shh," came a familiar voice and he craned his neck to see Shinji grinning at him. "Shh, Ichi, s'okay."

"What?" he asked again, but arched as Shinji ran a hand under his kusodo and up his spine. "How…"

"Seems you had a bit of a reaction on us too…had to get here before I killed Kensei and Love or they killed me. Was pretty intense…you rejected Love, but not me…" he breathed into Ichigo's ear, causing the orange haired shinigami to moan and buck upward against him. He'd already forgotten that the ground under him was hard because the friction against his own need was exquisite.

Shinji sat back kicked off Ichigo's hakama where they'd tangled around his feet and his pants followed after. "Gods, Ichigo, you know I've wanted this from the day I found you…but I won't take it unless you want me too, I'm not a beast…" he said, breath hot on the back of his neck. "I'll stop if you tell me," he said, hands ripping the buttons off his shirt as he lost it and yanking the kusodo off Ichigo. He was still pressing him into the floor on his stomach.

He went to licking and biting the mark he'd left, ignoring the other one, then trailing his tongue down every inch of exposed flesh on his back. He bucked upward against him, rubbing into his throbbing cock with his ass.

"Don't stop," he finally breathed, reaching one hand behind him and pulling Shinji into a deep, hot kiss, exploring every inch of his mouth before the need to breathe stopped him. "Please…" he moaned, pressing up and back against him. "Prove to me if you're worthy," he groaned, bracing himself up on his forearms and knees.

"You got it, Ichi," Shinji said, mouthing the words against the small of his back before trailing his tongue down the crevice and tonguing his entrance enthusiastically. Ichigo squeaked, and Shinji smiled, running his tongue around the outside then dipping in as much as he could, tasting the odd mix of salt and something else that provided lubrication. It seemed it was meant to happen this way, he guessed as he licked his way back up his back.

Ichigo was already panting, head resting on his forearms over the intense sensations when he felt Shinji line himself up against him. He stiffened and whimpered then.

"Oh, shh," Shinji said, rubbing circles against his back. "I'll be careful…"

With that he slid inside his body with a fluid grace. Ichigo winced, the body was a soul form, and healed fast, so that meant that he'd already recovered from the earlier encounter with Grimmjow. Soon enough, his eyes were pricking with tears as Shinji reached out and held his hips against him tightly. He could feel his cock pulsing inside him, and it feel so strange as he waited for the burning to ease away. He wriggled back a bit and Shinji pulled back and slid in slowly, slipping against his prostate and getting a low moaning purr out of him. Shinji grinned, angling his hips for that spot again, and after a little while, they were both moaning as the sounds of skin slipping against each other filled the room they were in.

Shinji felt the approaching end, so he reached under Ichigo and grasped his leaking cock and began to jerk in time with his thrusts and a second later he was coming, screaming out Shinji's name and Shinji followed when he was squeezed with the intensity of Ichigo's orgasm. He threw his head back and let out a low guttural growl that definitely was not a human sound. He fell forward; dropping his hands on either side of Ichigo's head as the instincts slowly leeched away and his mind came back to full functioning.

"Oh…oh shit…Ichigo?" he said, pulling out as Ichigo fell flat against the ground, panting. "Oh shit, are you okay? Shit…shit…" he muttered, reaching out and flipping him over on his back.

"Hrm?" he said, looking up at him with hooded eyes. "Yeah, m'fine…"

"I…I didn't mean for that to happen…I mean, I knew what I wanted to do but to carry it that far…" he said, slightly annoyed with himself. He should have more control that this.

Ichigo shook his head. "No, Shinji, I could have rejected you. I didn't. No, this is fine, it has to be," he said. "I've accepted it. I still don't like it…but what can I do?" he said, reaching up to put a hand on Shinji's face. "It was…nice."

Shinji nodded and smiled down at him. "Well, I'd hope at least I could make it nice." He leaned down and planted a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Ichigo turned his face until they were kissing fully again, this time facing each other. It took them a while before they finally were dressed and heading back to the room. Ichigo fell into the bed and was asleep before he even landed. Apparently…that was the cycle. Sex and sleep.


	4. Fulfilling Emptiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight change. Kensei was not rejected, Shinji was accepted before Ichigo got to him. So there will be a tryst with him.

Ulquiorra was feeling rather odd. Which was strange in itself. The fourth espada rarely felt anything at all. So he sat alone in his rooms staring at the window. He had no fraccion, and had no desire to have any. He was perhaps one of the strongest of the espada, beside primera and cero. But still, he kept that strength hidden. Something was different. He'd never _felt_ like this before. And it was so odd to think that he was _feeling._ At his core, he felt empty all the time. Emotions were blank and far away from him, yet now he was driven to experience things he'd never thought of experiencing before. The beta had caused this, he thought. None of this started until he had gone to Grimmjow's room and saw the beta sleeping in his bed and felt an overwhelming desire to take him away to his own rooms and claim him.

He'd never answered the desires of the hollow. Not once. He'd felt them, of course, when roaming the sands of Hueco Mundo. He'd sensed the presence of the needs below the surface, but he refused to answer them, because what was the point? He would be left more empty than he began, and he knew that he would be completely rejected by any he would try to claim. No, he'd never answered them. And to be honest, he'd never intended to do so. Then Aizen came along, and he'd been given purpose, a way to fill the emptiness in his soul.

But it didn't work. Aizen left him cold and emptier even than before. But now, something threatened to burst from him and claim him entirely. And the beta was at fault. He was angry, he realized. Angry at this beta for coming into Las Noches and changing things, for changing _him_ and he wasn't going to have it. He wasn't going to answer these things. He would go before the beta. He would be rejected, and he would leave. That would be it, and his life would move on. He had no idea how wrong he was about to be.

oooooo – Random location with sexed out Ichigo and Shinji – oooooo

Ichigo blinked blearily and his stomach growled angrily at him. Man, he was hungry, he thought as he tried to sit up only to realize someone was laying on top of him. What the hell, he thought, then it came back. Oh, shit. This fuckin'…fucking. He sighed and felt Shinji moved and propped up and stared at him.

"Hey, Ichigo, hungry?" he said finally.

"Hm, yeah, fuckin' starving. But no idea where the food in this place is," he said blinking.

"I may assist with that," came a voice nearby.

Ichigo and Shinji looked up to see the short, green eyed espada staring at them. Ichigo turned red, realizing he was still completely naked, with Shinji draped over his back, fully clothed. The hell? Why'd he have to be naked all the time? He buried his head in his arms as Shinji giggled, standing up and fixing his trousers and tossing Ichigo his hakama and kusodo. It was weird, because Ulquiorra didn't turn away, simply watched him with that weird, piercing green stare, while Shinji at least had the courtesy to turn away.

"Okay," he said, and Shinji turned back. He was sporting some impressive bruises and cuts. Ichigo arched a brow.

"I do that?" he asked, looking over the deep cuts on his forearms.

"Hell yes," he said, rubbing his purplish colored jaw. "You hit like a ton of bricks, fucker," he said with a wink. "Fuckin' hollow mating is violent…don't think I want to do this again anytime soon…"

Ulquiorra watched curiously then led them to the kitchens and open area where tables were set to eat. It wasn't huge, but both Shinji and Ichigo stiffened when they saw Gin sitting at a table nearby. He scrunched his brows and then grinned. Ichigo felt his stomach tighten. He really didn't want an encounter with them, but he was expecting it. How could he run around Las Noches and _not_ run into the three traitor shinigami. He stood and came forward, his clothes now the white that encompassed the place.

"Mah, mah," he said, glancing at Ichigo and Shinji. "Look who it is, walkin' round like they own tha place…is that smart?" he asked, grinning and reaching up to tilt Ichigo's chin up.

A second later, Gin found himself flat of his back on the floor, Ulquiorra with a foot planted in his chest and staring down impassively. "Shinigami, this is none of your concern. Leave the beta alone. He will be fed. And then he will either accept me as a potential mate or reject me. Either way, you will not lay a hand on him or any of those that have claimed him, including this shinigami. Otherwise, you will greet death by my hand and the other espada."

Gin frowned, and cocked his head. "Interestin'. So be it," he said, shrugging.

The fourth espada moved forward, grabbing Ichigo by the wrist and dragging him, stumbling after him into the kitchen, leaving Shinji to catch up, throwing a glance at the extremely confused looking Gin. Not another word was said as he was handled a bowl of rice and vegetables and the espada stared at him expectantly. Ichigo glanced at Shinji and ate slowly. Shinji recovered something from the shelves to eat for himself and watched the espada. The green eyed espada's stare was slightly disconcerting, but he managed to finish the food offered and then waited. Shinji could sense the rise in pheromones, and felt a need to leave immediately. Ichigo dropped the bowl and stepped forward, sniffing at the fourth espada.

Ulquiorra was prepared for immediate rejection. He was not prepared by the smirk followed by the approving purring growl emitted from the beta. He blinked a moment then answered it with his own guttural sound, eyes fluttering up into his head momentarily as the scent from the beta rolled into his senses, triggering every hollow piece of him that existed.

"Oh, fuck," Shinji muttered. "Don't fight in here, there's not enough room," Shinji said before he backed out and closed the door. He guessed it didn't matter as he heard something crash on the other side. He looked up to see Gin staring at him.

"Wouldn't go in there anytime soon…" he said as the door vibrated behind him.

Inside the kitchen, Ichigo was maintaining a higher position than the shorter espada. He'd gotten on one of the counters and was using it to slash out every time he moved to come forward. However, he wasn't expecting the Ulquiorra's speed. The espada was incredibly fast and before much longer, he found himself pinned to the counter in the center of the room. He growled and struggled a moment longer, feeling his hands tight on the wrists clasped at his back. Then, like before, the struggle faded, and the submission overwhelmed him, beaten by a worth potential mate.

He rolled his head to the side, revealing the sensitive area to the alpha. Ulquiorra was overcome. Figthing, he understood, but this was new territory. He closed his eyes and buried his face into his neck, absorbing the smells into him and then bitng down on his pale flesh. He heard the low purr from the beta and it made him happy. Happy? He never felt emotions…but here they were, coming over him in a wave, and more than simple base instincts. He was pretty sure that this wasn't supposed to happen this way. He had been sure it would have just been an episode of fucking him and then walking away. But that wasn't happening.

Ichigo was completely frozen in place, bent over the kitchen island counter, legs dangling just slightly off the floor. The instincts were pressing him down, it seemed, and he couldn't move. Ulquiorra ran his hands down to his hips and released the obi, dropping the hakama and making Ichigo gasp at the rush of cold air on his body. He swallowed thickly as those thin hands seemed to be exploring every inch of exposed flesh. He wasn't sure what to expect from the impassive and emotionless espada, but this wasn't it. His touch was light, teasing almost, barely brushing over the exposed skin.

He then flipped him around and sat him up on the table, setting Ichigo to blinking at the dizzying experience. Ulquiorra pushed the kusodo off his shoulders and then stared at him, making Ichigo blush at the exposure. Ichigo could feel Ulquiorra's hard length pressing into the inside of his thigh harshly and he was briefly amazed at the short espada's size. He might have actually had a bigger cock than Grimmjow, and that was saying something… Ichigo groaned as those pale hands brushed across his chest and paused to touch the pink nipples that had perked at the attention. Green eyes focused on him as he pinched on tightly, getting a gasp at the jolt that ran through Ichigo's body. He moaned, hands splayed on the table on either side of his hips, staring at those entrancing green eyes.

Ichigo wrapped his legs around Ulquiorra's hips, pulling him closer, and feeling his cock brush against his own heated arousal. He groaned and was amazed at how intense this was with his eyes locked on the espada. Slowly, his green eyes had dilated completely, and there was the barest circle of vibrant green around the black. Ichigo was sure his pupils were blown as well because he already felt the coiling heat in his stomach. Before long, Ulquiorra's hands were replaced with eager lips, latching on to his neck, his collar bone, his chest, his nipples, everything. Then, to his surprise, Ulquiorra dropped to his knees and sucked Ichigo's length into his mouth. Ichigo threw his head back suddenly. Thus far, they hadn't done this…

The truth was, Ulquiorra was curious, incredibly so, and he wanted to taste everything about the body in front of him. He swirled his tongue around the head and looked up at the shocked expression on the orangette's face. Obviously, the others had not done this. But Ulquiorra was intent on experiencing everything about this because he was relatively certain it would never happen again. The idea that he was aroused alone was strange, but he wanted to find out everything before this was gone. He sucked hard on him, and he practically screamed, falling onto his back on the counter, bowls, spoons, and crockery flying everywhere. Ulquirro pushed him back and forced his legs upward so his legs were resting over his shoudlers as he swallowed on the organ in his mouth. The reactions were interesting, as he felt him stiffen under him and his mouth was filled with the bittersweet taste of his release. He lapped up the remainder from the softening cock and then trailed his tongue over the soft globes beneath, sucking gently on each one, gaining a squeak out of Ichigo, who already felt his cock twitching again.

Ichigo groaned as he felt that wicked tongue slip underneath his balls and press against his perenium and then slipping around his entrance. He gasped and pushed himself up on his hands and stared down at the eyes that were staring back at him. How did he even… He groaned and fell back again, hard, another bowl shattering on the floor as his tongue pressed into him, shooting blood into his cock immediately and so fast, Ichigo thought he might pass out. After a few moments, Ulquiorra stood back up, his tongue trailing a hot firey line up his stomach. He pulled Ichigo back down, and yanked him roughly to a sitting position again. He stared for a minute at the completely wrecked beta. He smiled, and Ichigo moaned at the sight. He didn't think Ulquiorro could smile.

He then latched his mouth onto Ichigo and proceeded to explore every inch of it as his hands gripped his ass and pulled him tight against him. Ulquiorra's tongue ravished every portion, and Ichigo didn't notice the finger slipping into him. He bucked downward, the pressure of the table under Ulquiorra's hand driving his finger all the way into him until his hand was flush against him. It was quickly followed by another and Ichigo groaned against him, his tongue tangling with the espada's.

Then, in one swift move, Ichigo was hefted by incredibly strong arms and slammed down on the waiting cock. He gripped Ulquiorra's shoulders tighter and his legs wrapped around him as they spun around and he was pinned to the door now. The angle was different, and he stabbed into his sensitive prostate at every thrust, going deep and hard, and Ichigo's head thumped back against the door as Ulquiorra bit and sucked at his neck and collar bone, taking time to bite gently at his Adam's apple.

Ichigo was coming completely undone and found himself coming hard on the espada's stomach where his cock was trapped between them, the stimulation to his prostate alone enough to send him spiraling into ecstasy. Ulquiorra wasn't far behind, feeling the tightness clench him and seemingly to suck him in even deeper as he stilled and pumped everything into the body he was holding against the door. He found himself placing gentle kisses against his neck, though, and sighing deeply into the hollow of his sweaty neck.

Finally, Ulquiorra moved, and Ichigo let his legs down only to find himself collapsing to the floor, his legs deciding that they could not hold him up at all. He stared up at the strange espada, his green eyes filled with something akin to emotion.

"Holy fuck," Ichigo breathed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Ulquiorra smirked. "Never done it before. Instinct, apparently," he said, his impassive mask returning.

Ichigo's eyes were already fluttering as he was slipping into sleep again. The toll on his body was relatively high, the hormones and actions were pulling at his energy reserves. Ulquiorra felt a pang of affection, and dressed him carefully so as not to wake him, then lifted him up into his arms, feeling Ichigo mumble against his chest as he buried his face into his chest.

Ulquiorra would take him to the rooms they'd given the visitors. He regretted leaving him, however. Gin stared a little open mouthed as Ulquiorra exited the positively ruined kitchen and he found his way to the room. He knocked and it was opened by the short brunette shinigami who blinked at him.

"I've returned him for his respite," he said, walking in to deposit him on the empty bed, well aware of the looks he was getting. He turned and left, leaving them to their own conclusions and headed to his own room. He needed to sort quite a few things out in his head.

Rukia covered him, and looked up at Shinji. "This is going to kill him, you know. This is only the second day, and he's exhausted."

Shinji nodded. "He's not fully hollow, so that's why he keeps falling asleep like this."

They looked up as the door opened again. Urahara had Grimmjow take Love back to the world of the living to limit the amount of people to be here. He had been surprised to see how cooperative the sexta espada was. Grimmjow was now letting Ishida enter the room with Orihime.

Rukia stood and glanced at Urahara, who had fallen asleep in the chair in the corner. "What are you two doing here? Why did you bring them?" she demanded of Grimmjow.

"Don't look at me, they said they were coming one way or another," he said with a shrug and closed the door.

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun!" she exclaimed and went over to look him over. Aside from the scratches and bites, and a few bruises he seemed to be sleeping.

"Why are you here?" she asked Ishida.

He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Despite his annoyance, I wanted to ensure he was safe. I'm sure you and Urahara can handle it, but I have different abilities. Grimmjow said he was in some sort of heat?"

Rukia nodded. "Yeah, it is exhausting though, he passes out cold after each…encounter. So far Grimmjow and Shinji have been accepted, and considering Ulquirra just droped him off, I'm assuming he just accepted him."

Orihime frowned. "Accepted?"

Rukia nodded. "If he accepts them, they have a fight, and if the alpha beats him, they…well…copulate."

Ishida arched a brow. "Well, so who is his mate?"

"The end of the week, he chooses among those he accepted and were able to beat him in a fight. But the fights are different. The alpha is trying to subdue him, so they don't hurt him, but Ichigo goes all out on them, has these claws and everything, as though he's really trying to kill them."

After a moment, Ichigo groaned and rolled over, blinking at the light in the room. "The fuck am I now," he said finally, sitting up and rubbing a hand through his head, blinking thickly.

Rukia turned and dropped beside him. "Hey, back with us. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore as fuck," he grimaced as he moved. "Dammit, this is too close together…gods…I need another shower…"

"Seven days is a long time," Ishida said. Ichigo looked up, noticing him with a frown.

"When'd you get here?" he asked, with a frown.

"Just now, Grimmjow brought Love back, and Orihime and I came with him," he answered.

Ichigo glanced at Orihime who was watching him with her big, teary eyes. "I'd rather you leave, this isn't…I mean…this gets rather…embarrassing," he said, rubbing the back of his head and fixing eyes on the sheet. "I can't…stop these thigns, no matter who comes around. I practically went at it with Shinji right in front of Kensei and Urahara and there was no stopping it for either of us."

Just then, Shinji entered. "Hey, there you are Ichi, got worried when I went back to the kitchen and you were gone. The fuck do you and Ulquiorra do in the kitchen, I don't think there's an unbroken dish in the whole place…heard Gin complaining."

Rukia stood stiffly. "You saw Gin? What'd he do?"

Shinji snorted. "Before or after Ulquiorra planted his ass to the floor and told him if he touched us he'd be dead?"

A silence descended, and Ichigo was decidedly uncomfortable, but he found himself gravitating toward Shinji, one of his potential mates. He wrapped his arms around the other vizard's waist surprising him where he sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his lap, falling asleep nearly immediately again.

Shinji looked down and smiled, stroking his hand through the orange hair. "It is so weird, I don't even remember the last time I felt like this…strange. I have _never_ felt the hollow's instincts so strongly. All I want to do is stay here. The urge is so strong…"

He looked up to see Urahara staring at him, awake it seemed, gray eyes dancing beneath the hat.


	5. Desperation for Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was going to be a single mate. But now I'm wondering if I should give the most powerful beta in a hundred years a harem. Hrm. Let me know what you think. Vizard and Espada possible.

Ichigo felt a thousand times better when he woke up. He found he was still asleep in Shinji's lap, though he'd moved to lean up against the headboard. He blinked and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Shinji grinned at him. Otherwise the room was empty.

"How'd ya sleep, sleepin' beauty?" he asked cheekily.

Ichigo blinked. "Amazing. I feel like I've got enough energy to go running around all day nonstop. I think being around you while I slept helped…" he said thoughtfully. "Maybe I absorb some sort of energy from you because of the previous…um, encounter?"

Shinji shrugged. Ichigo looked away. "Um, Shinji, is this gonna be weird if I pick someone else? I mean, you're my friend, and, I feel kind of odd knowing that we…you know, did that…what happens afterward?"

Shinji shook his head. "Well, if you choose another, then we say it was casual sex. You know, that does happen between friends sometimes, Ichigo. Wouldn't be a first for me. Though usually I'm not on top…that surprised me a bit."

"You mean, you are already…um…into guys?" he asked, shyly.

Shinji smiled. "Yes, Ichi. I was already into guys but never actually thought of myself as an alpha type…but I guess me and my hollow have a bit of a disagreement about who is an alpha around here. Would have definitely pegged you for a top if you were into guys. Though I'll admit, you're awful cute when you blush so red," he said, with a wink.

"So, if you like to be the…um…"

"Uke," Shinji said with a smile. "Means the bottom in a relationship between two guys. And usually where I am."

"Ah, yes, that…um, if you like that, then wouldn't it be weird if you were stuck with me, since it looks like I'm kinda…well, the bottom, for good…" he said with a sigh.

Shinji frowned a bit. "Um, well, I guess it would be a bit different…I guess…but the hollow drives this, I suppose. Are you saying that before this you weren't into guys or something?"

Ichigo cleared his throat. "I…I can't say that. I mean, I thought about it, I guess, but I didn't think about guy or girl, just I'd find someone I wanted to be with and gender didn't matter you know…but I kinda thought maybe it would be nice not to have to be in charge all the time…" he said, looking down.

"Hey," Shinji said, pulling him close to his body. "It's okay to be who you want to be, Ichi. Maybe you and your hollow aren't at odds like mine seems to be with me…" he said, brushing a hand over Ichigo's head.

After a few minutes though, Ichigo was restless. He shook his head and got up. "I…I think I have to move, now. I'm feeling…really like I need to go and walk around. See ya later, Shinji," he said standing and heading to the door.

"Where you going?" came Uryu's voice from the next room.

"Um, out?" he said, frowning at him. What the hell was he doing anyway?

"Well, I'll go with you," he said, standing up from the small table.

Ichigo knew the likely outcome of going out of his room. The idea that Uryu knew what was happening was enough, but for him to actually be there for it… "Look, I appreciate your concern, but I'm perfectly safe here because of them…" he said.

"Yeah, well, I'd like to make sure," he answered. "I promised Orihime and Rukia that I'd go with you when you got up. We figured you'd leave again."

Ichigo went red. "I don't need everyone witnessing my sex life!" he said with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest.

Uryu arched a brow. "Ichigo, I know this isn't easy, but we're just trying to help. We know we can't change it, we just want to make sure that you don't get in trouble before you find whoever you're going to be with next. That's all. Edrad almost lost it when you turned him down. Others might not be as well behaved when you turn them down. And in case you haven't noticed, these guys run in groups a lot."

Ichigo glared at him, looking for any sign he was messing with him. He shook his head finally. "Fine. But once it starts, I lose all conscious thought. The moment I attack them, it all goes fuzzy, and I'm hollow inside and out and only think of one thing, trying to kill the alpha."

"I got it, okay?" He said. "I saw you fight Edrad and Grimmjow, remember?"

Ichigo shook his head and headed out, not going anywhere in particular, just wandering the halls. Everything in the place looked the same. He turned a corner and ran right into an arrancar, an espada by the feel. He was tall, about the size height of Grimmjow but more muscular with dark skin and no hair. Ichigo stepped back, eyes fluttering. Uryu stood back and watched. The espada growled low in his throat, issuing the challenge. Ichigo circled him as he stood still and released the low rumbling growl that he'd used on Edrad.

Uryu stiffened, recognizing the rejection. The dark skinned arrancar narrowed his eyes at him but gave a curt nod and moved on. Uryu relaxed and then Ichigo crumpled to the floor. He moved and pulled him up to sit against the wall.

"Hey, what was that?" he asked.

"Rejection, not enough power, but he accepted it, so didn't have to fight him…" he said with a sigh. "Drains me though to do what I did."

Uryu nodded and sat down beside him for a moment. After a bit Ichigo stood up, seemingly back to normal as he stretched. A voice behind the spoke.

"What have we here?"

Ichigo turned to see a very tall, lanky arrancar with a bandana type thing covering one eye with a shorter one beside him that had short blonde hair who also wore an eye patch. Uryu again, stepped backward a bit.

"Nnoitra Gilga," the tall one said, moving forward. "Quinta Espada," he said, letting his tongue loll from his mouth where a five was tattooed to his tongue. "From what I hear, whoever you take will become stronger. And well, that's what I'm after. Strength. So shall we get this on with?"

Ichigo moved forward and sniffed against the much taller arrancar, then began circling him slowly. Finally he had circled three times and he stood in front of him, his eyes bleeding into black and gold again, nails starting to extend into claws. He smirked and the higher pitched keening growl was emitting, meaning he accepted the challenge.

Nnoitra smiled and moved toward him. "Not enough room here, come on," he said and led the way to an open room. Ichigo was wary, crouching in the middle and watching the lanky man.

Uryu stood near the door, and the fraccion of Nnoitra came and stood by him. He nodded at Uryu and watched with him.

Nnoitra made the first move, lunging forward to try and capture him and subdue him, but Ichigo would have none of it. He'd been there when Ulquiorra had gotten hold of him. No way he'd fall for that again. Instead he slid behind and sliced through the white pants to leave trails of blood on the arrancar's thighs. Nnoitra looked surprised as he glanced up at him.

"I'll be damned…ya can cut through my hierro. With those damn claws…" he muttered, seeing the blood beading on his leg.

Ichigo issued another challenging growl. "Don't get cocky," he told him and moved on him. Back and forth they danced, Ichigo was well rested this time, though, so he wasn't about to be caught easily. Nnoitra was enjoying it greatly, and soon he had blood dripping from just about everywhere.

Finally, during an attack, Nnoitra decided to end it. Ichigo moved forward, dancing away from the counter and slicing out across Nnoitra's back, thinking he'd be blocked again. Instead of being blocked, though, his claws sliced into him, and he was flipped and pinned to the floor by a grinning Nnoitra. He fought him for a few minutes, but his hands were pinned. Finally, he let out the purring sound deep in his chest that Nnoitra was waiting for and the tall espada leaned down to bite at the proffered flesh of his neck. Ichigo groaned, and arched as he lapped up the blood that dripped.

Uryu stood up and nodded to the fraccion. "I think that's my cue to leave. Please make sure he gets back to our room," he said with a nod.

Tesla watched as his master began to rip the clothes off the beta and felt his own arousal start to peak. He knew he didn't have a chance, so instead he'd watch his master claim him. Nnoitra glanced up and saw his fraccion and grinned, licking at the body of the beta slowly from navel to neck, getting a delicious serious of moans from him.

"Tesla, come, you can play with me too," he said, leaning over and nibbling on the collar bone below him.

He didn't have to be told twice. By the time he got there, his master had divested the young beta of all his clothes and was licking every inch he could find with his wickedly long tongue. Tesla watched, then kneeled, the beta locking eyes with him, the black and gold so alluring. He leaned down and captured his mouth, for a moment, he was surprised, then he relented as Nnoitra latched lips around his cock and he bucked against him.

"So responsive," Nnoitra said, nuzzling his way between his legs, trailing hot, wet stripes down the inside of his thighs and around his entrance before delving his long, sinful tongue into him with one move.

Ichigo arched against the smaller body kissing him and groaned deeply. Tesla smiled and swallowed every noise as his hand moved and began stroking his own cock under his pants. Beofre long, he sat up, tossing off his own clothes and straddling the beta's chest. Ichigo frowned but found his mouth filled with the fraccion's weeping arousal.

"There, now, all ready and wet for me, beta…" Nnoitra purred, forcing three fingers at once into the tight hole. He looked up at Tesla who was being sucked off. "Oh, there, make him come, beta. Make him come down your throat before I fill you with my cock…here…" he said, punctuating the words by shoving in his pinky finger with the others, making Ichigo writhe upward and nearly choke on the cock in his mouth.

Finally, the ministrations on him were enough, and he felt the arrancar stiffen and the warm seed slid down his throat. So easy, and this wasn't even the alpha. Somehow, though, he felt the connection between them of master and fraccion, and so he didn't resist him. Tesla moved and Ichigo was snatched up and spun until his back was against Nnoitra's. He gasped and was lifted and penetrated suddenly by an extremely long cock. He groaned as he felt it slide into him further than anything had before. There was a bit of a burn, but it seemed his body was beginning to adjust to this constant abuse. If it could be called abuse, because in the end he enjoyed it a lot.

"Tesla, help him out," he said, spreading Ichigo's legs wide where he straddled the lanky espada's lap. Nnoitra sat on his knees, long legs folded under him. "Return the favor…" he said.

Ichigo watched as Tesla nodded and dropped down on him, sucking hard on the tip of his cock and nearly sending him over. He would have, if Nnoitra hadn't grabbed the base and held it. He whined in frustration as Nnoitra leaned back and began thrusting his hips upward hard, using his strong legs to push himself up from the position. Ichigo thought that this guy had a helluva lot of strength to be able to actually fuck him this hard while sitting on his knees. He screamed out as his sweet spot was pounded against mercilessly. Tesla continued his ministrations, swallowing him to the hilt and working his throat around him. He was whimpering with the need to come but Nnoitra wasn't ready to let go his hold. Finally he felt him start to get close, and he let go of him and he came violently with a scream into the mouth before him. Ichigo thought to himself that was the first time he'd had a full blow job… Nnoitra followed him, the incredibly tightness as Ichigo came sending him over quickly with a low growl in his throat.

Tesla sat back with a smirk and wiped his mouth, leaving Ichigo panting, sitting back against Nnoitra, his cock still buried in his depths. His eyes flew open when he realized Nnoitra was hardening already again inside him.

"Wait, wait, I can't…" he started, but he was pushed forward onto the ground, Nnoitra over him now, thrusting shallowly into him ever so slowly, holding one arm under his body and keeping his hips up.

"What was that?" he said, reaching down and stroking him to full arousal again. "You can't what?"

Ichigo groaned, this time unable to stop the feelings. This wasn't the hollow, that was satisfied, he realized. This was his human part, unable to resist. Nnoitra whispered in his ear, hot and wet. "Fuck Tesla while I fuck you, beta. I wanna see ya come completely undone."

Ichigo groaned throatily and was flipped to his back, somehow Nnoitra managing to keep the monstrous cock of his seated as he did it. He stroked Ichigo a couple more times as he laid there and pulled his legs to rest over the crooks of his elbows.

"Come here, Tesla," he said and the fraccion came forward and dropped to hands and knees in front of Nnoitra, caging Ichigo underneath him.

He leaned down and latched his mouth on him as Nnoitra began to tongue his hole to prepare him. Tesla and Ichigo swallowed each other's moans back and forth, Nnoitra concentrating on Tesla, and thrusting against Ichigo's prostate every few moments to keep him ready. After a moment he slapped Tesla's ass and he let go of Ichigo's mouth. Nnoitra was still for a moment as Tesla lined himself up and sat down hard on Ichigo's weeping cock. Ichigo threw his head back hard and let out a low moan. It was the first time he'd ever done this and the tight, wet heat was amazing. Tesla began to rock back and forth on him and Nnoitra began to thrust into him against his sweet spot again and again, rocking harder and harder and further into him.

Nnoitra was tall enough to see perfectly well over Tesla as he rode the beta almost violently. Of course, Nnoitra was doing a good job of violently fucking the beta under him, so he really had no choice. Nnoitra reached around and grabbed Tesla's cock, setting his head on his shoulder and watching the beta, his face open and slack with sensations.

"Come," Nnoitra said to Tesla. "Come on his chest…paint him white, Tesla…" he whispered huskily into his fraccion's ear, long fingers deftly stroking Tesla to completion. He rocked back once, burying Ichigo's cock all the way into him and slamming his own prostate, and came, white painting Ichigo under him. Nnoitra thrust hard then, aiming for a particularly hard hit against the sensitive bundle of nerves and striking it perfectly. Ichigo's eyes went wide and his head went back in a long silent scream as he clenched even tighter around Nnoitra's cock, so much he literally couldn't move inside him. He himself groaned and came again, filling the body with his own seed for the second time.

Tesla fell forward, not caring that he was falling into his own mess, and Nnoitra collapsed onto him for a minute before pulling out of Ichigo and watching with fascination as his seed drained out of him. He kneeled and pressed a finger inside and Ichigo twitched and gasped at the feeling of the liquid dripping out of him. Tesla got off Ichigo's now very placid cock and grinned as he fell onto his back beside him.

Nnoitra was still busy playing with the beta's body, fingers stretching and probing. He didn't know if he'd be chosen, but if not, he'd make the best of it. He had Tesla after all. Not like he _needed_ a beta for sex. But he really did want the power that came with it. And this beta could take a violent fuck, which was a plus.

"Such a greedy little hole you have, beta. Even after you've satisfied the hollow, you still got off so easily on me fuckin' ya senseless. What a lil' slutty beta…" he said, driving both index fingers into him and pulling him open. Ichigo gasped at the strange open feeling. "Look at that…how pliant…how open you are…"

Ichigo's legs were shaking but he couldn't move. "What are you…doing…" he gasped out finally as he felt him stretch him further then drive his tongue into him again. He groaned as the hot, wet muscle lapped at the walls and he felt his cock twitch at the feeling.

Finally, Nnoitra had enough playing and moved to lick up the underside of his balls, then to grin triumphantly. "Remember this when ya choose, lil' beta bitch, I can do this anytime," he said, pulling his fingers out of him and standing, adjusting his clothes. "Get dressed, Tesla…" he said with a smirk, walking toward the door.

Tesla got into his clothes and caught up with his master. Ichigo didn't move. Hell, he could barely breathe after that. That had been his first time as a human…not only answering the hollow's needs. No, that second time that had been him answering his own needs, his own wants. His discussion with Shinji came back and he wondered. Maybe it was that he was always meant to be like this, the instincts were always there, perhaps. He felt himself drifting off and wished one of his alphas was there, because he was kind of cold…

He was asleep when the door opened and he was hefted up by someone's arms, and removed. He vaguely heard murmured talking but he thought maybe Uryu had come back. Before long he was on a couch and he curled up, comfortable enough, but he couldn't scent one of his alphas. He was too tired to think of it.

Uryu came back to the room to find it empty after Tesla came by and told him that Ichigo had passed out, and Nnoitra and him had been called to Aizen's conference. Uryu found his shikakuso, however, and felt his heart clench. This wasn't a good sign. He headed back to his room and found Shinji.

"Shinji!" he said, frantic. "Ichigo's gone, he wasn't where Nnoitra and Tesla said he was…"

Shinji frowned. "What? Who are they?"

"His last alpha encounter, they left him to sleep in the room they were in, and now he's gone, and his clothes were there. If he got up and left, he would have put his clothes back on. He's in his right mind between these encounters," Uryu said seriously.

"Fuck," Shinji said. "I'm going to find Grimmjow. He's been pretty helpful so far. Maybe he can help us find him."

He started to leave but when he opened the door he found an arrancar standing there with brown hair and a jawbone around his neck. He yawned. "I miss him?" he asked with another yawn.

"No, but he's disappeared, and we don't know where and we know it wasn't one of the alphas," he said.

The dark haired man nodded. "I suppose I should find him," he said with a sigh.

"Who are you?" Uryu asked.

"Cayote Stark, premira espada," he said absently and walked away to try and find the missing beta.

"Come on, I'll go with him. You get Grimmjow and go looking too, Uryu. Tell Urahara," he said and caught up easily with the seemingly lazy espada. A few minutes later a girl with green hair came running.

"Stark!" she called. "This isn't the beta…" she said, frowning.

"Nah, I thinking someone isn't playing fair, mija," he said with a sigh. "This is one of the other alphas, the vizard, Shinji I think. He's claimed him already."

"Lillynette," she said, nodding to Shinji. "Do you know who he's encountered?"

"I know Grimmjow, me, Ulquirro, and now Nnoitra. He rejected one of the espada, someone with a bald head and dark skin but Uryu didn't know his name," Shinji answered.

"Zommari," the girl said. "That leaves Stark, Szayel, Aaroniero, Barragan…"

"Aaroniero I doubt very much is interested in a beta," Stark said. "And I do not think Szayel is an alpha. And Barragan…" Stark shook his head. "I don't see him taking a beta either, mija."

Lillynette nodded. "But Szayel would take him to experiment on him. We should check his lab first, in case that's what's happened."

Together they headed off, hoping that they would find Ichigo inside. However, the truth was a little worse than what they had feared.


	6. Definition of Suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Violent NonCon chapter. I warned you guys it would happen! But it leads to some soft and fluffy feels in the next chappy.

Ichigo's eyes fluttered back from his rest and he felt…weird. Something was definitely not right. He didn't understand what it was, but he was uncomfortable. Inside and out. Like, he was in the wrong place and the hollow inside was surging.

_Get the fuck out of here, King._

That woke him up completely as he started and found himself sitting on a low futon in an empty room otherwise. He blinked wearily and glanced around. Four walls, one door on the opposite wall, and the futon he was on. He looked down. Dammit! Where the hell was his shihakuso? Obviously, after he passed out when he was done with that lanky bastard he'd been moved. But to where? He didn't scent an alpha…not a strong one anyway. He scented a couple betas, one nearly as powerful as he was…

The door opened to reveal an imposing man, white hair and mustached. And a beta. Ichigo frowned and stared at him curiously.

"I am the god king of Hueco Mundo, and I will remain so after Aizen is gone. You will submit to my fraccion," he informed him.

Ichigo frowned. "I…no. You aren't…even an alpha. I won't submit to what you say…" he said, and scented the approaching lower ranking alphas.

"Yes, but I am king, and I may not possess you, but my fraccion will. And I have their utter devotion," he said with a tilt of his head.

Ichigo shook his head violently. "That's not how this works, and you should know that!"

"I'm more powerful than every alpha I've encountered. I rule them instead of the other way around. None could beat me when I was in the stage in which I could have born cubs. That's a time long gone, and I rule those that came before me now. Don't you understand? Those you defeat in battle can become your own fraccion if you allow them," the old figure said thoughtfully. "But that is needless here nor there."

He turned and left silently, leaving Ichigo completely vulnerable in the room. If he could get out… But the door was filled with another figure now, a lower level alpha. He had black hair and red tattoos running over his chest. He entered followed by one with a mask over the top of his face and long blond hair. Another alpha, Ichigo registered. Next a shorter one came in with black hair under a fanged helm and golden eyes. Alpha as well…something…feline about that one, he thought. He shook his head as the last one came into the room. This one was much taller, towering over the rest with a helm and tusks and wavy blond hair. Another alpha. He pushed himself back against the wall, glaring at them, and released a low, throaty rejection of all of them.

"Look at that, Ggio," the one with red tattoos spoke to the short one. "Already rejected us and we havn't even gotten close to him. How rude, huh?"

The short one, Ggio gave a wicked smile. "I'd say Abirama. What do you think?" he said turning to the one with long blond hair.

"Hum, I'd say, indeed. Rejection without a fight even. Shall we give him a fight?" he said, brushing his blond hair over his shoulder.

"You…you aren't even close to powerful enough for me to take on as a mate, so let me out of here. This is a one on one fight anyway, you don't stand a chance against me. Edrad fell to me easily," Ichigo said, his eyes bleeding into black and gold, and the long black claws extending. In this state, his skin began to take on a more pallid color.

_I'm giving you more power, King. This is going to end badly if I don't…_

Ichigo swallowed, knowing that if the hollow was willing to give up more power that this was serious. He was about to be ganged up on by four, and he had no zanpakuto. They were advancing.

"Yeah, we don't like to play by the rules," the blond said and lunged forward.

Ichigo jumped and rolled away from them and tried to figure out how to get to the exit. His felt the mask starting to form on the left side of his face, but the hollow wasn't trying to take control, he was only feeding him power. He growled at his attackers again, then let out an ear piercing shrieking sounds that made the walls rattle around them. It was a call, he knew, but he wasn't sure if anyone would hear him in this place.

"Findorr, watch it!" called the taller blond as Ichigo spun over and planted all five extended claws into the back of the blond's legs. He growled deeply and rolled away, narrowly avoiding a double axe handled hit by the tallest one. He was panting already. He wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but it felt like a long time, but without an alpha near him, he didn't feel nearly as good as he had previously.

Findorr was glaring at him, his legs painted bright red where he'd cut into him. He leapt to the side in time to avoid being tackled by Abirama, but he recovered and moved on him again. He realized too late what they were doing. Ggio had been out of his sight for a moment, then he felt the heaviness on his neck and shoulders and the world went spinning sickly as pain exploded in the back of his head.

"There we are," came one of their voices.

 _Fuck!_ Screamed the hollow in his mind. Ichigo concurred.

He felt hands on his ankles then, pulling him backward across the rough floor. He felt the blood beading on his ribcage as the skin was scraped raw. Then he was up and tumbling down onto the futon again. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head. He felt a hand on his hip and he kicked out violently, only to feel someone grab his ankle and twist. He blinked and couldn't even scream as pain lanced up his leg. He was staring up into the face of the short one.

"So what happens, beta, if I claim you by force? You rejected us but I beat you…what does that mean?" he practically purred into Ichigo's ear.

"Doesn't matter…I'd beat…you in a fair…fight…" he breathed heavily, trying to push him off until he felt each of his arms grabbed and yanked violently. He arched and screamed as he felt both of the shoulders slide out of the sockets at the same time. That hurt like a bitch and now he could barely feel his arms, let alone use them.

"Guess we'll see," he said again and lifted him and forced himself roughly into him. Ichigo yelled again. He wasn't prepared at all, and obviously a night at least had passed because his body had regenerated already from the last encounter.

"Dammit, stop!" he cried, as the two arrancar on either side watched, their eyes riveted.

"We figure, beta, that if we all claim you, then you won't have to worry about the others. Together our power is greater," the blond said, reaching down to run hands across Ichigo's heaving chest.

"No," he moaned as Ggio snapped his hips against him hard and released inside him, attempting to mark him. It wouldn't work. This didn't work like that…why didn't they realize that? "Won't work," he gasped as he was flipped to his stomach, the pain in his shoulders radiating to meet across his back in a vice of pain.

"Fuck off!" he screamed, his head turned to the side to glare one eyed at Ggio as he moved away and the blond moved to take his place. Then a heavy hand landed a blow across his face, and he felt his jaw shift out of place painfully.

Findorr leaned over and licked his ear and instead of feeling arousal at the feeling, even though when Nnoitra did the same thing it was quite arousing, he was only disgusted now because he didn't want this. He didn't want them. He gripped his hips and pulled him upward to meet him before the arrancar drove into him. Ichigo winced and felt a sob rip from his throat despite himself. No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go, they didn't deserve this…he had figured out that this was what he was going to be, but he had a choice in this thing, dammit! He chose to reject or accept them! And he'd rejected them! He let out the loud shrieking sound again, the walls vibrating and dust shaking off of them.

"Nirgge, check the hallway, I don't know what the fuck that is…but it is fuckin' loud," Abirama said, and the huge arrancar moved to watch the doorway from the outside.

Findorr finally groaned, forcing himself deeper into him and releasing. He pulled back and Ichigo felt the stickiness running down the back of his legs for a moment before another set of hands threw him over onto his side, shooting pain through his side. He groaned as Abirama hitched his leg with the now broken ankle upward over his shoulder and plunged down into him, crushing his dislocated shoulder into the futon. He felt his stomach recoil, gagging and dry heaving violently, though whether from being violated like this or from the pain that was ripping through him, he wasn't sure. He was absolutely sure that being stabbed by Kenpachi hurt less. Definitely hurt a lot less. Finally he backed up out of him and he was watching spots dance in front of his eyes when he was pressed to his back, the last one hovering over him.

He glanced down at the arrancar who stood grinning, his hand stroking himself almost thoughtfully. Despite the pain Ichigo found himself shaking his head.

"Oh hell no," he groaned and tried to get away from this monster. Nnoitra had been by far bigger than he others, but at his height, who could have doubted that. But this guy…he was huge. Ichigo was about one hundred and ten percent that he'd be cut in half by that monstrous organ.

But it seemed that this Nirgge had other ideas. He roughly pressed both hands into his aching shoulders, causing him to cry out in pain for a moment. Distracted by the immense pain shooting through his arms and torso, he didn't notice when he grabbed his hips and slammed into him in one go. It was lucky he wasn't the first. Ichigo was certain that it would have killed him flat out, hollow or not. But as it was he had a half a second before the shrieking sound from his chest released louder and longer than before. His hands fluttered uselessly at his sides, and he felt those huge hands pressing into his hips with a bruising force. Vaguely, he heard someone yelling, and it sounded like fighting or something. If the initial pain was bad, the brute started to move. Every slide sent pain shooting up his spine and down to the very arches of his feet, making his feet cramp painfully and the muscles in his thighs lock tight.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted, it seemed like forever before he heard someone calling him and felt the sudden end to the pain and pressure. He blinked, staring upward until he was looking into an unfamiliar face, a brunette arrancar. He smelled absolutely wonderful, though and Ichigo felt his vision tunnel and fade just as he heard Shinji's voice nearby too.

oooooo – Earlier – oooooo

Visiting the lab was a bust. Szayel claimed to know nothing about the beta, feigning the fact he had no interest in him. Shinji could tell he was lying pretty easily. There was a mad glint to his eyes when he was talking about it. But he wasn't there. They explored for several hours, eventually running into Grimmjow and Kensei. Uryu and Urahara had set out together as well.

Just as they were about to separate again, all four heard the shriek. It was a call, a summon for help that a beta only used when he was in serious danger that they couldn't handle. Stark looked at Grimmjow. "It came from Barragan's direction."

Grimmjow growled. "That fucker," he muttered. "He has no right…" he said, and they set off, the two vizard clamoring close behind the espada.

They heard the shrieking sound again, more intense and panicked, they all knew that something was wrong. "Betas only use that for one of two reasons. They're ganged up on by a group of alphas, or they're hurt too badly to fight back," Stark said.

The lonely espada had been hoping to see this beta. He had been hesitant to leave his rooms, his power such that it crushed lesser hollows easily by his mere presence. Yet, if this one was as powerful as they said he was…perhaps…perhaps he could claim him and sooth his lonely heart. But now, now he was in trouble. Desperately, by the sound.

Finally, they were in Barragan's castle and they saw one of his fraccion, Abirama, standing smugly with his back to a doorway when a rending shriek caused all of them to flinch. The door literally rattled a bit from the pitch of the sound waves. Even Abirama seemed startled by it. Grimmjow scented Ichigo, and so did Shinji. Kensei and Stark both smelled the beta, though since neither had claimed him, it was indistinct to them.

Stark lowered his head and in a second had the red tattooed fraccion pinned to the wall by his throat.

"P-primera!" he choked out.

"What have you done?" he said calmly, staring at him with his sleepy dark eyes.

"Barragan said that we could have him since he is…was… a beta…but he wanted the power so if we all took him…we could claim his power for our king!" the fraccion stammered out finally.

Before Stark dropped him, he realized the door had been ripped forcefully open by Grimmjow. Stark stared for a minute before he easily broke the lesser arrancar's neck with a snap. He dropped the lifeless body and stepped into the room where Grimmjow had just dropped Findorr and Ggio, slicing the shorter man almost in half with his sword, and practically decapitating Findorr in the next move. Stark lunged forward at the monstrous arrancar that was leaning over the beta.

He grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him through the ground, and before he could even blink, he'd buried his sword in his throat. Blood bubbled around the wound and out of his mouth for a moment and he savored the sight before he moved and leaned over the wounded beta. He looked horrible, to be honest. His eyes were unfocused. Shinji gasped as he kneeled opposite of him.

"Gods, Ichigo…" he said, and looked up at Stark.

Kensei was slightly ill at the sight. Stark looked up. "The woman that heals, can you bring her to my rooms, Grimmjow, they're closer, and I don't think we should move him more than we must. But I will not leave the _pobrecito_ here a moment longer than necessary," he said, gathering the limp body up carefully.

Stark was by far the fastest out of all the espada, so before Grimmjow had made it back to get Orihime, he was in his rooms, laying him out in the mountain of pillows. Shinji and Kensei had barely kept up but they burst in next.

"Let's clean him up," he said, looking. "Washing in the bath," he said to the two vizard. Shinji nodded and both went and came back with a basin of warm water and several washing rags. They all three set to clearing the blood from his face where his lip had been split and winced as his jaw moved loosely.

Stark began to clear the blood away from his legs, and was disgusted by the state he was in. They'd been cruel and harsh, not bothering to have any care of him. He was ripped and torn in several spots, and blood was steadily leaking from him still. He was glad that they had the woman. Just then the door opened and Grimmjow led Orihime into the room.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she gasped and dropped beside him. Stark had tossed a sheet over his lower regions as the door opened. "What happened?" she asked, sending up her golden shield over him.

"Barragan decided if he couldn't have him, he'd make his fraccion take him by force. He won't be leaving our side again after this…" Grimmjow said with a low growl in his throat.

"What…what happened to them?" she asked, watching as his jaw seemed to reset itself, and the bleeding was staunched. She focused her energy below, wincing as the damage was relayed to her.

"They're dead," Stark said flatly. "In the world of alpha and beta mating practices, it is taboo to force a beta unless you have won the right in a fight. The beta can choose to accept or reject a mate. If he rejects, the alpha may challenge him, because if the alpha can defeat him in a fight, he has proved he is worthy after all, even though he was rejected. But to do what they did…all four of them at once fighting him and subduing him in this manner…" he said and frowned. "We do not harm our betas. They are too _precioso_. Too rare. To even harm one like this is deserving of _muerte_ …"

After a long hour, the shield shattered and she was exhausted. She sat back. "I've done all I can, his shoulders need to be reset…I couldn't heal that…"

Kensei smiled. "I'll take you back, Orihime," he said.

Shinji and Grimmjow were staunchly sitting on either side of him, refusing to move an inch, however. Stark sat down beside his head and pulled it into his lap. He looked at the other two. "We must replace the shoulders."

Grimmjow nodded and stood. "Hold on to him," he said, and braced a foot against his body as Stark wrapped both arms tightly around his torso. Grimmjow yanked hard, popping the bones back into place. The action though sent Ichigo's eyes wide open and he let out a strangled cry.

Stark reached down and petted his face. "Shh, _mi precioso_ , _estas a salvo_."

"Ichigo, can you hear me?" Shinji said, kneeling beside him.

He nodded. "Oh gods," he moaned. "I hurt so bad…"

"Shh," Shinji said. "Just a minute. Grimmjow has to reset your other shoulder," he said.

Before he could react, Grimmjow yanked the shoulder into place. Ichigo gritted his teeth and moaned, eyes fluttering on the edge of unconsciousness.

"I can tell Orihime was here," he said thickly. "My…um…yeah…that doesn't feel like I'm coming apart at the seams…what happened to them?"

Shinji grinned. "Yeah, we don't have to worry about them. Grimmjow and Stark here went all sorts of crazy on them. I doubt they felt much in the end. They died faster than I would have liked, but you know. Can't have everything we want, can we?"

Ichigo nodded, sniffing and realizing he was in a new alpha's lap. His eyes bugged as he looked up at him and whimpered. "No, not now," he said, tears gathering at his eyes.

Stark sighed sadly and ran a hand over his face. "Shh, _mi precioso._ No, you need rest and to heal. Come, you should bathe now, and then we shall sleep and lend you our energy so you feel better when you wake come morning."

Ichigo nodded. "How many days has it been?" he asked, stumbling to his feet but leaning heavily against Stark.

"Today is the fourth day," Shinji said. "Morning will see the fifth day. Only three more," Shinji said, patting his back as they steered him to the hot bath that they'd drawn earlier.

Grimmjow sat down and watched carefully, his thoughts running rampant. The feeling of killing tthose that dared to violate the beta he'd already claimed rightfully was still thrumming through him. He looked at Shinji as they settled Ichigo into the massive group of pillows Stark had and covered him. Shinji laid down with him, and Stark threw a cover over them both.

"Where are you two going?" he asked.

Stark sighed and yawned. "I have a very boring duty to attend to. Grimmjow, go get Nnoitra, I'll find Ulquiorra. They should be involved as they've both claimed him by right."

"So have I," Shinji pointed out.

"Yes, but he needs you to help him heal. We will deal with our errant esapada. He deems himself king of this place, but he will no longer," Stark said and turned to leave, both disappearing in a burst of sonido.

Shinji was pretty sure he didn't want to know what happened. It was three hours later when both espada returned, smelling of smoke and blood. They each took turns in the bath and then Stark slid into the pile behind Ichigo, and Grimmjow laid himself on a group of pillows behind the other three's heads. Yeah, he really didn't want to know what they did to this Barragan fellow.


	7. Soothing Lonliness

Achy was the only word to describe the way he felt when he woke the next morning. It was almost enough for him to forget why he was so achy, then it came crashing back and he groaned, burrowing into the nearest attractively scented body. Before he realized it he was practically purring into the strong chest he was nuzzled into. The smell was heady and warm and comforting… There was a hand running through his hair and he wanted nothing more than to stay there because this smell was _safe_. He was startled by a pounding at the door and his eyes fluttered open, and he found he was tangled in a heap of pillows and limbs, and the one he was actively snuggling into was the brunette from the day before.

“Primera, open this door!” came the call of Gin’s voice.

“Enter, dammit,” he muttered, the door opening and Stark refusing to move as he tugged Ichigo’s body tighter against him. Ichigo was buried so he couldn’t really see over the pillows.

“What happened to Barragan’s castle?” Gin asked.

“We burned it,” Grimmjow said, standing and stretching.

“What are you doing here?” Gin said.

Grimmjow sat down among the pillows and snagged one of Ichigo’s hands, pulling it up and licking the palm. Ichigo giggled at the feeling despite the seriousness of the situation. “No, stop that!” he said, yanking to get his palm away, only to be tugged out of his nest of pillows into Grimmjow’s lap.

Gin glared at him. “What is he doing here?”

Stark sat up and yawned. “What are _you_ doing here, Ichimaru?” he said, feeling under the pillows. “Hrm, I know there’s another one in here…” he muttered and yanked a bleary eyed Shinji up.

               “What the hell, I was comfortable…” he groaned, yawning.

                “What is this, a fuck pile?” Gin asked, rolling his eyes.

                Stark glared at him. “In case you didn’t notice, _mudo_ , we’re all clothed.”

                Gin rolled his eyes. “Still doesn’t explain what the hell happened to Barragan and that whole area of Las Noches that is fucking gone now…”

                Stark stood and sighed. “Barragan broke a _muy importante_ rule. As alphas, we enacted the punishment to fit the crime.”

“This was because of your little sex fest?” he asked. Ichigo winced and Grimmjow tightened his grip. “I know Aizen gave you a week, but this is getting out of hand. You can’t just kill someone for fucking your fucktoy there. Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?”

Stark released a burse of reiatsu that sent Gin to his knees. Gin gaped at him. “Barragan tried to take what he was not entitled to. Barragan was una beta, not alpha. And he sicced four of his fraccion on Ichigo at one time. They forced themselves on him. This…this is unacceptable behavior and worthy of death among the hollows. It is not done. Una beta es muy importante. And it is not tolerated to mistreat one like this. Now, tell Aizen to leave us to this, or I will show Aizen that I am the most powerful of the espada. And it was not just me who dealt the blow to Barragan. Quinta, Cuarta, y Sexta were with me. Tres was told as well, but she chose to guard the shinigami instead. Now, adios.”

Gin stood and stormed out the door, slamming it as he went. Grimmjow’s hands loosened and Ichigo leaped at Stark. He looked down at him. “Es bien, mi amor?” he asked softly.

Ichigo nodded. “I don’t need to fight you…I know,” he whispered and bared his neck to the alpha. Stark’s eyes widened considerably.

“Because of yesterday, si?” he asked.

Ichigo nodded, looking up at him. Stark didn’t have to be told twice, he leaned down and bit into his neck, placing his claim there. Ichigo sighed under him. There was a moment when Stark merely lapped at his neck, and then he saw Grimmjow and Shinji both watching them intently, asking permission. Stark nuzzled into Ichigo’s ears. “Grimmjow and Shinji would like to play, what do you think, mi amor?”

Ichigo answered with a throaty growl and bit into Stark’s chest where it peeked out of his uniform. Grimmjow was behind him in an instant mauling the back of his neck with bites and stripping the kusodo off as quickly as he could. Stark slowly stepped back and watched as Grimmjow stripped him of his hakama and kissed and lapped at Ichigo’s neck and upper back. Stark shucked his clothes off quickly, and pulled Ichigo’s now naked back against his, resting his head on the orange hair.

“Ah, mi amor, es bonito, muy…” he said, breathing in the scent deeply.

Ichigo dropped to his knees, his human mind somewhat merging with his hollow one as he stared at Stark in all his glory. Grimmjow dropped behind him and was kissing him still on his neck. So Ichigo though he would try this without prompting. He leaned forward and sucked Stark’s more than ample piece into his mouth. He was unable to get more than half his length in his mouth but he tried still, receiving approving murmurs from him and he felt his hands threading through his hair as he worked his mouth up and down him. He thought he was quite possibly the largest of the alphas he’d accepted, both in girth and length together. He was slightly nervous at that…

Grimmjow watched over his shoulder with interest and waved Shinji over. He pointed down at Ichigo’s somewhat hard length and Shinji grinned, nodding, dropping down and sliding his head underneath Ichigo and latching his mouth around the head, getting a surprised gasp out of him and a sudden rush of blood to the organ in Shinji’s mouth. Shinji grinned and swallowed him down to the base, making him nearly choke on Stark as Ichigo accidently leaned too far forward. Stark pulled back and kneeled in front of him and watched Shinji work and the look of bliss that was covering his face and began to pepper him with kisses and then latched onto his mouth, delving into every nook and cranny as Ichigo moaned his appreciation of Shinji’s fantastic mouth. Grimmjow sat aside, slowly stroking himself as he watched. It was indeed quite a scene.

“Stark,” Grimmjow said finally. “Sit in your pillows and have him ride with your back to you. Then we’ll see if he can take us both…”

Ichigo’s eyes widened a bit but Stark nodded and sucked his tongue into his mouth and Ichigo forgot what they were planning on doing. Shinji knew from experience, the best time to try something like they were planning was right after an orgasm, while the body was completely relaxed, so he pulled off with an audible pop and nodded to Stark. Stark sat back in his pillows, and pulled Ichigo onto his lap. Shinji lay down on his back and slid between Stark’s legs and began to lick and suck on the round globes and the perineum right above his nose. Ichigo bucked upward when his tongue delved into the tight entrance, but Stark held his hips still as Shinji worked his tongue in and out of him, then licking around the outside and in all the sensitive little spots under the testicles. Stark was holding his cock by the base in one hand and holding his hips down with the other. Shinji popped up, licking a stripe from his balls to the tip of his cock as he came. Ichigo was beside himself. Shinji nodded to Stark.

Stark shifted, and Ichigo felt the blunt end at his entrance and he felt the need to feel him inside mount, as he pressed upward, and Ichigo found himself pressing downward with a deep, almost feral groan. Stark had one hand rubbing his stomach now, and the other still holding off the impending orgasm. Finally, Ichigo maneuvered all the way down and threw his head back onto Stark’s shoulder, panting. Stark grinned and captured his lips as Shinji suddenly swallowed him down again. Stark let go and held him by the hip to keep him from choking Shinji and it didn’t take long before he was exploding into Shinji’s mouth without even moving on Stark who managed to stay still inside him. Stark grimaced as the channel tightened and he then began to move, Shinji moving back a bit and Grimmjow moving forward. He kneeled in front of Ichigo and pulled his face around, shoving his fingers into the orangette’s mouth. He didn’t think he took them and sucked them and as soon as they were gone, locked lips with Stark again. Grimmjow smiled.

Grimmjow reached down and worked a finger in beside Stark, no doubt it was tight, but it gave easily enough, and as Stark battered the boy’s prostate, he didn’t notice another finger and then a third. He slid his hand out and Stark was still. Ichigo looked up and saw Grimmjow.

“Shh, just relax, mi amor,” Stark said in his ear and Ichigo melted back at his touch as he rubbed a hand across his nipples.

Grimmjow slid forward, pressing into the almost painfully tight space. He paused and after a moment, the ring of muscle gave and he found himself sliding all the way in. Ichigo was caught in a gasp, eyes wide. Grimmjow and Stark set a slow and steady back and forth rhythm with each other. Shinji slipped a hand between them and gripped Ichigo’s cock and began to stroke him to their rhythm. It didn’t take long before the two espada and Shinji had the smaller beta moaning in pleasure and then exploding over Shinji’s hand. Both Grimmjow and Stark growled low and felt their own release wash over them, the release of Stark’s reaitsu adding to the pleasure of being filled for the beta. Ichigo flopped back onto Stark, who had fallen deeper into the pillows. Grimmjow pulled away and smiled. It was sneaky, true, jumping in on another Alpha’s claim, but joining in on a successful mate increased his chances.

Stark remained seated inside him, though, already feeling his arousal return and he looked down to see Ichigo was in the same predicament, despite the incredible two times he’d come already. Shinji grinned and kissed Ichigo on the chest. He sucked his own fingers into his mouth as Ichigo watched and then kneeled and began to slowly prepare himself Ichigo’s eyes went wide as he watched. Grimmjow at back and watched with a grin, knowing what Shinji had in mind. He then straddled Ichigo where he laid back against Stark and sunk down on him in one swift move. Ichigo groaned at the sensation and Shinji grinned at him.

“Yes, much more like it,” Shinji said with a smile and began rocking back and forth in an effort to find his own sweet spot. He gasped when he found the angle.

Stark put both hands on Ichigo’s hips and held him steady and let Shinji’s steady motion guide Ichigo’s on his cock. Before long, Ichigo was again moaning as Stark bucked upward every now and then to strike into that sensitive bundle of nerves as he came down hard from Shinji’s wild bucking on top of him. Before long, Shinji came without ever having touched himself, and Ichigo followed immediately. Stark managed a few more upward thrusts before he let himself get swallowed in bliss again. Shinji collapsed onto Ichigo and kissed him soundly before he rolled off and went to the bath, returning with damp towels all around.

Stark kissed Ichigo’s temple and slid out, feeling the ample liquids follow him. He carefully cleaned Ichigo up, for he was covered, it seemed. He kissed the beta languidly and pulled him down into the pillows for a little nap. Grimmjow and Shinji both dressed and waved as they left. He waved back. Grimmjow and the others had agreed the night before not to leave him alone, even for a minute.

Shinji and Grimmjow returned to the room where the others were waiting rather impatiently. They were met by a frantic Orihime at the door.

“Do I need to go back? Is he okay? I’m sorry I couldn’t replace his shoulders last night, I just didn’t have the energy…”

Shinji held a hand. “Whoa, girl, he’s fine, the boy put his shoulders in place, he slept the night away, had some…ah activities this morning, and now he’s sleeping again. I think we’re almost done here, Kensei is the only one left among us, so I thought later, Grimmjow and Kensei could go and get him from Stark’s and bring him back here. There aren’t many others he might accept. In fact, it seems that anyone with less power than Grimmjow is an automatic no. But we’re almost done now. After today, only two more, and he’ll make the choice. We just have to make sure someone is with him at all times. Just in case some of the lower alphas decided to pull what Barragan’s did and gang up on him.”

Rukia sat down slowly. “Some help we’ve been,” she said. Uryu sat a hand on her shoulder.

“This isn’t exactly your average situation. Nnoitra’s man should have ensured he came back here instead of leaving him asleep there and coming to get us. But they had no idea anyone would break the rules,” Uryu supplied. “From what I understand, when Ichigo’s resting, none are to bother him.”

Grimmjow nodded, crossing his arms. “The rest period is important to the beta. Without it, they cannot choose the strongest. Though because of Stark’s actions yesterday, he did not have to fight with Ichigo, which may have been better after what happened yesterday.”

Rukia frowned. “Why didn’t they fight?”

Shinji smiled. “He rescued him, fought off his attackers after he called for help. The call is usually answered by marked alphas and ignored by those that haven’t claimed a beta, Stark went anyway.”

The talked some more and as dinner came closer Grimmjow stood and looked at the silver haired Vizard. “Ready?”

Kensei nodded and they headed to retrieve the beta from Stark’s quarters. When he entered, he caught Ichigo’s scent easily enough. The hollow began to bubble, telling him to claim him then and there. Kensei fought the instincts down. Like hell. He would wait for when and if Ichigo decided he wanted him. They walked up to find that Ichigo was still sleeping among the pillows. Grimmjow looked down. Stark looked up lazily at the two of them in return.

“We came to take him to his rooms, I’ll just carry him rather than wake him,” Grimmjow said, picking him up carefully. Ichigo nuzzled into his chest and sighed. Stark nodded and went back to sleep himself. Grimmjow sighed and left quickly with Kensei at his heels.

However, the trip back was not to be uneventful, because halfway back Ichigo woke up with a loud purring growl. Grimmjow rolled his eyes, having expected him to accept Kensei after the rescue. However, he didn’t expect him to jump Kensei the corridor without a fight. Grimmjow stood back and watched as Ichigo practically mauled the slightly bigger Vizard who was vaguely shocked at first to be jumped in the middle of a hallway. He had both legs wrapped around him and both arms locked around his neck and was nuzzling and purring loudly at him.

Grimmjow was going to suggest moving but thought he’d just keep watch instead. He didn’t think either of them would hear a word he said. As much as he thought joining again might be fun, he was not in the mood to get caught by someone with his pants down, literally. He sighed and kept an eye down the corridor.

Ichigo had the sudden urge to tackle Kensei the moment he woke up to his overwhelming smell. It was easy enough to jump up on him, and soon he found himself pinned with his back to the wall, Kensei ravishing his mouth. Finally, need for breath overrode the intense kissing and Ichigo’s head tumbled back into the wall with a thump. Kensei bit down on his neck then getting a guttural groan out of the beta. Kensei reached down and ripped open the front of Ichigo’s hakama, splitting them right down the seam in the middle and sending each half pooling down his legs. Ichigo’s hands were busy with the loose pants Kensei wore, pushing them down enough to free his straining erection. Kensei shifted and he sprung free, leaking copious amounts of fluid onto Ichigo’s hand. In a moment, he had Ichigo seated on him and pushed against the wall gasping for breath.

Kensei wasn’t known for taking a lot of time with things. And this was no different. The hollow soul was driving him to complete this as soon as possible, feeling the end of the beta’s heat fast approaching. Kensei latched his mouth onto Ichigo’s neck and sucked hard as he rocked his body hard and fast into the pinned beta. He held him up easily with his powerful arms, hands steadily holding him up underneath his rear. Ichigo had wrapped both legs around his waist and his ankles were locked together as he moaned into his fist, head tossed back, eyes squeezed shut, trying to stifle his cries as Kensei hammered into his prostate with every stroke, it seemed. Kensei wasn’t as big as the others, but it seemed like he had some experience with this because he seemed to know exactly how to move. He moved and locked him into another passionate kiss, and Ichigo moaned loudly into his mouth as he came hard and fast onto their stomachs, the friction between their bodies sending him off. Kensei merely groaned and his hips stuttered a couple times, nails digging into Ichigo’s ass hard enough to draw blood as he released himself, his reaitsu flaring around them briefly.

Grimmjow turned back then, seeing Kensei letting go, hands a bit bloody where his nails had dug into Ichigo’s ass, and he flushed.

“Ah, fuck, Ichigo, I’m sorry…that…wow…I…” he stuttered, wiping the blood on his hands on his pants and staring at the state of disrepair of Ichigo’s hakama.

Ichigo grinned. “S’okay, my fault, really, I kind of needed to thank you, for the whole rescuing thing…” he said with a sigh, leaning sleepily forward into Kensei’s arms.

“Um, yeah, but your clothes and I just threw you into the wall and fucked you…that was a little rougher than I would have liked…” Kensei said, staring as Ichigo kicked off the remains of his hakama. His kusodo was long enough to cover him, at least as he tied it back together.

Grimmjow snickered. “Man, do you honestly think hollows do much more than that? Wasn’t you, was the hollow, remember?”

Ichigo nodded. “Well, I’m finding that a hard and fast fuck is just as nice as a slow and steady one,” he said thoughtfully. “And hollow stuff, yeah, you know me; I’m not really the type to jump guys in a hallway either. But when the hollow instincts flare….it…is…” Ichigo wobbled, blinking wearily for a moment.

“What…is….that?” Grimmjow said, sniffing the air and stumbling backward.

Kensei looked blank for a second and fell forward with a thump. Grimmjow kneeled down to check on him and collapsed instead on top of him. Ichigo blinked, the world wavering in front of him as he crumpled back into the wall and slid down it. He looked up in time to see a flash of vibrant pink hair and a wide smile.


	8. Tortured Madness

Ichigo woke with a blazing headache and a head full of cotton balls. He blinked and realized he was unable to move. There was a light above him, blinding him effectively, and he heard someone humming in the background.

“Ah, you’re awake,” came a voice Ichigo was unfamiliar with.

He looked up as a man with a manic grin and bright pink hair looked down at him. “I’ve managed to get you away from the others for a bit. Terribly sorry but this is the only chance I’ll have to run these experiments on a beta as powerful of you before they’ve been mated. I doubted you’d agree. Some of my research may be a bit…invasive. I am Octavo Espada, Szayelporro Granz. But just call me Szayel, please. Now, shall we begin?”

Ichigo frowned then coughed as Szayel released a puff of cold air in his face. “Now, which alpha’s scent is that?”

“Starrk…” Ichigo said, his head fuzzing from the pheromone release of one of his potential mates. The second the smell hit his nose his body began to respond, blood rushing south and his body yearning to be near him.

“Good, good, so there is a definite reaction to the ones that you have copulated with already and accepted as potential mates. Now…”   Szayel puffed something else into Ichigo’s face. He frowned and shook his head.

“As suspected, null response to pheromone release of lower ranking arrancars. Beta is highly responsive to more powerful alphas however,” Szayel seemed to be making a recording, Ichigo thought.

For perhaps an hour, similar things were done. Ichigo was starting to get tired of air being puffed in his face. Szayel managed to determine that a pheromone from released state was ignored, while an unreleased state pheromone was reacted to. Szayel hypothesized that potential for a mate was derived from the weakest form of the mate rather than the strongest.

“I don’t think that the others are going to be happy with this,” Ichigo said finally, his head still buzzing after the tons of pheromones he’d been blasted with.

“They’d have to find me first,” Szayel said and moved around and removed the sheet that was covering his research subject. Ichigo looked down and frowned.

“What are you doing?” Ichigo asked, realizing he was indeed quite naked and very aroused after the stuff the pink haired scientist had been wafting in his face for the last hour or more.

“Research, of course,” Szayel said and looked over Ichigo’s body.

“Subject has acquired the aspects of a beta hollow,” he said, circling the metal table. Ichigo watched him carefully, feeling overly exposed. “Hip width has increased as is standard to accommodate the reaitsu chamber. Chamber will be physically manifested at the time of soul implantation. Currently chamber is the size of two centimeters.”

Szayel stopped and moved something and the table dropped out from under Ichigo’s legs, leaving them still clamped but now unsupported. He pushed and his legs moved easily and he came up between his legs and began to touch him around the hip bones softly.

Ichigo gasped. “Subject reacts to physical stimulation to the pelvic region immediately once state of alpha arousal has been activated. Proceed to stage two of testing. Hollow triggers identified. Now to discover the human side of things…”

Ichigo frowned as Szayal left and came back with a metal tray. He held up a ring and slid it down Ichigo’s hard arousal to the base. Ichigo frowned and flinched, looking.

“Don’t tell me you have never seen one of those? I got it from the world of the living,” Szayel said. Ichigo merely stared. Szayel smiled. “Subject has had the ring applied. Ring should block ability to ejaculate during testing.”

Ichigo’s eyes widened. “Oh, no, what are you…”

Szayel came around and slipped a ball gag onto him. Ichigo stared at him with wide eyes and tried to talk around it. “Subject is talkative, and has been gagged. This was anticipated as part of the experiment. Continuing with exploration of points of stimulation.”

Szayel smiled as he began to run his hands over Ichigo’s body, coming down to his perineum and watching with interest as Ichigo reacted to having it massaged. Szayel smiled and pressed a finger into him slowly. Ichigo’s hips bucked upward in response. Humming, Szayel pressed deeper and moved his finger around until Ichigo gasped and jerked violently upward.

“Subject’s prostate and perineum are both highly sensitive. It is anticipated that a prostate stimulated orgasm is possible. Testing will be conducted on theory.”

He reached up and removed the ring and Ichigo was panting already from the constant pressure on the tiny bundle of nerves. He moaned loudly around the gag as Szayel continued to stroke that single spot and nothing else, keeping his entire body focused on watching his subject. Finally, Ichigo’s body arched and he came hard, spilling all over his own stomach and panting as he fell back.

“Subject is capable of orgasm from prostate stimulation,” Szayel said, pulling his finger out of him and grabbing a cloth and wiping him up. “Now to see how long refractory period is with addition of alpha pheromone.”

Ichigo’s face was blasted with the cold air again and he gasped as almost immediately his cock hardened again. Szayel hummed. “Subject’s refractory period is artificially shortened by the application of alpha pheromones. This confirms hypothesis that betas are biologically wired to mate repeatedly until the end of the heat period.”

Szayel went back to the end of the table and hummed as he touched Ichigo with something that made him jump. “Subject’s reaction to objects is as anticipated.”

Ichigo glared at him and saw that he was holding something long and thin. His eyes widened. Objects?

Szayel pressed something hard against his entrance and he tried to move away from it but it was impossible in the position he was in. Then, it slipped into him and he groaned at the hard, slick feeling. Then it began buzzing. Ichigo jerked, and groaned as whatever it was, well it was obviously some sort of vibrator, buzzed against his already sensitive prostate gland. He moaned and thrashed and found himself bucking against it for more friction until finally it was too much and he was drowning in blissful white stars again. This time his whole body was slack as he panted desperately, drool running down his chin around the blasted gag.

“Application of vibration to the previously stimulate prostate produces expectedly quick results of a second ejaculation. Continue to third stage, testing of the flexibility and range of subject.”

Ichigo couldn’t have even thought if he tried at that moment, but the next thing he knew was there was something much larger than the slim vibrator being pushed inside him. He groaned as he felt the muscles stretch to accept whatever it was. It wasn’t too bad, though, he thought that Starrk’s ample cock was larger. But this kept going deeper into him and he groaned as tears sprung to his eyes and he tried to get him to stop.

“Subject’s acceptance limit reached,” Szayel said, working the long, thick instrument in and out of him a little at a time. “Now testing limit of girth.”

Ichigo’s head popped up and he stared. The thing was getting thicker? He yelled against the gag and cussed at the man between his legs. He was going to rip him open if he kept going. Szayel sighed. “Shush, you took two cocks up your ass earlier, this isn’t even that bad.”

Ichigo panted as he felt himself stretched further. He whimpered as it seemed any more was going to kill him, he was sure of it. Then he was moving it. He yelped and felt tears again. It was too much, he was certain of that. But then, he felt Szayel’s hand on his cock and he moaned as it was growing hard again. He whined and thrashed as Szayel grinned, manipulating the now thicker instrument and jerking the beta’s own cock slowly and steadily. He was writhing under Szayel’s hands and it was most certainly not from pain. He grinned and leaned down and swallowed the boy’s cock as he worked the instrument harder into him. Ichigo bucked and Szayel merely grinned, swallowing him and working his throat around him until he exploded into his mouth with a scream muffled by the gag.

Szayel sat up and looked at him, slowly extracting the measuring instrument. This was science, after all. He watched as he panted and it was obvious he was exhausted. But Szayel was sure that he could get a couple more tests out of him. “Subject’s limits are recorded, exceeded expectation.”

Szayel slipped the ring around his now flaccid member again. Ichigo was completely unaware of anything, lost in a blissful haze. Then Szayel moved a switch and the table shifted, and Ichigo found himself staring at the floor, his legs hanging down and arms still attached to some sort of rings. He was so out of reality, though that he didn’t really care how he got in that position. Then he felt Szayel’s hands on his back. He couldn’t see what he was doing anymore.

“Subject has shown reaction to presence of pheromones of alphas. Test to determine effect of copulation with another beta.”

Ichigo blinked. Another beta….who… Then it dawned on him. That was why he didn’t sense anything. Szayel was a beta…like Barragan. But he felt his hand on him again and before long, he had stroked him to arousal again. Ichigo was wondering if he’d given him something because getting hard like this so many times in a row was odd, but then he was using the pheromones on him too. He groaned and realized the cock ring was back, then he groaned as he felt Szayel’s cock slide easily into him. It wasn’t like he was unprepared after the last “test”. Before long, Szayel had found his prostate and was mercilessly rubbing against it and stroking him. Unable to come, Ichigo was whimpering against the gag, and begging to take the ring off. Szayel was maddenly slow, though, and took his time. Finally, he reached down and the ring snapped off and Ichigo came harder than he had before, screaming against the gag and bucking back into Szayel. Szayel moaned as the tightness around his own cock forced him over the edge and came into the body beneath him.

Ichigo was limp now. He didn’t think he could move at all even if his life was in danger. He was spent, in every sense of the word, and as Szayel pulled away, he whimpered and his eyes fluttered, and he was unconscious before he even heard Szayel speak his results into the air.

Szayel sighed, tucking himself back into his clothes and smiled. “Successful experimentation. Human hormones and sexual drive overrides hollow needs for alpha copulation, making it possible for human/hollow beta hybrids like Kurosaki to orgasm under circumstances such as copulation with a non-alpha. This is something that does not occur among normal hollow betas such as myself without artificial activation of the pheromones. Samples of the subject will be collected now.”

Szayel went around and collected the samples he needed. Hair, skin, nails, saliva, ejaculate, blood and marrow. Of course, the beta would wake up when he was taking the marrow sample. He was quite glad he’d left the gag on him and secured him to the table better, he thought as he completed the extraction from his thigh bone. Ichigo glared at him as he moved around the table, tears dripping down his face from the painful extraction.

“Sorry, dear, but I have to collect the specimens. I doubt I have a lot more time before your lovely alphas locate my little secret lab,” he said, patting Ichigo’s shoulder. He had dressed him while he was unconscious. He had anticipated that he would not be particularly happy at having been a test subject, as pleasurable as it had been for him thus far.

Szayel took several vials of blood before he realized the pallor that was coming over Ichigo. He frowned. Oh, he supposed that was too much blood… He forgot how fragile humans were. But he’d be fine in a little while after his blood rebuilt. The hollow nature would ensure that. Then, as expected, someone was banging on his door frantically. He grinned as he saw Ichigo’s body stiffen. Even across the barrier, her still sensed on of his alphas. Szayel punched a button and the door slid open. He looked up to see an irate looking Grimmjow and sleepy looking Starrk. He smiled.

“He’s all yours, sorry I borrowed him for a bit,” Szayel said, putting away the vials of blood he’d collected.

“What the hell did you do to him?” Grimmjow asked, seeing that Ichigo was strapped down to the metal table and gagged.

Starrk was already moving though and unhooking the gag first then the restraints. Ichigo immediately buried his face in Starrk’s chest. Starrk felt the weakness practically radiating off of him. He turned and looked at Szayel who was standing with his arms crossed.

“Just a little research before his heat ended. He’s fine. I didn’t damage him at all, in fact, considering he managed to orgasm four times for me, I’d say he enjoyed himself during his time with me,” he said with a shrug.

Grimmjow frowned. “What the hell kind of research were you doing?”

Szayel sighed and rolled his eyes. “He’s a hollow/human hybrid, I wanted to find out if he reacted to things like we do. So I used some pheromones and checked and verified stimulation points, refractory periods, and reaction to stimulation in absence of alpha pheromones. All quite planned out and safe, I assure you. He’s weak because I took some blood samples, and may have drawn a bit too much, but he’ll recover quickly. He didn’t seem to like the bone marrow extraction, however.”

At the mention, Ichigo shuddered. Starrk’s grip tightened. Obviously, out of everything, that had been the most traumatic for him. At least he wasn’t too damaged by the ordeal. Knowing Szayel, it could have been much worse. Starrk pushed him back and looked at him.

“Are you okay, mi amor?” he said softly.

Ichigo took a breath and nodded. “M’tired, really tired, s’okay, don’t hurt him, s’okay…”

Starrk petted a hand through his hair and nodded. “Si, si, come Grimmjow. Leave him to his work, he hasn’t harmed him. And Ichigo doesn’t want us to do anything. Let’s take him back, the shinigami will be worried. Kensei and Shinji no doubt are beside themselves.”

Grimmjow snarled at Szayel. He had to admit, waking up with Kensei in the middle of an empty corridor with no trace of Ichigo had been terrifying. They had been out long enough that all trace of Ichigo’s scent had faded. In fact, as they left Szayel’s hidden lab, it was already the end of the sixth day. If nothing else, Szayel having him had kept him out of the hands of any more mobs of other alphas. Grimmjow sighed as he watched Starrk walk with Ichigo and wondered if he even had a chance. For so long, dreaming of being king had been his one reason for living. With Ichigo, he could do that. But primera was by far the most powerful among them. If Ichigo chose one, wouldn’t he choose the most powerful?

“Starrk, you think he’ll pick you?” Grimmjow said thoughtfully.

“I am unsure, there is more to it than simple power, mi amigo. Power, yes, it is important to una beta, but there is personality, and if the alpha will take care of the cubs and how the two mesh. Assuming he will only take one?” Starrk said with a grin at him. Grimmjow frowned.

“I assumed. Do you think he’ll take more than one?” Grimmjow had never met a beta that took more than one alpha.

Starrk nodded. “Si, he has a lot of power, sexta. More than one of us can contain. And his capacity for gaining power is greater even than I can sense. No, he will need mas.”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” Grimmjow said, with a nod. “No doubt he will choose you and cuarta, then.”

Starrk smiled as the turned a corner. “It is about more than power, remember. Ichigo will likely choose the alpha or alphas that suit him best. He is a gentle thing, at heart, the human side of him is seeking something that the hollow side does not comprende. It is love, affection, care, that sort of thing. Ichigo is after more than a creature to fuck him and make sure his bambinos do not die. No, he is looking for a connection with the part of the hollow that does not exist…muy importante to mi precioso.”

Grimmjow nodded as they rounded another corner only to stop and stare. Yammy was standing there, arms crossed and blocking their way. Great, he’d hoped to avoid Yammy’s dumb ass for the whole of the heat cycle. But it seemed that running into the idiot bastard was inevitable.

“Cero should have a chance, shouldn’t he?” Yammy said.

Starrk shook his head solemnly. “No, mi amigo. Cero…you must be in resureccion to attain that power. The beta chooses based on power overall, not released. Your power is far less and besides, he will reject you, perdoname, but he will because of your rage. He was drawn to those of us that needed him most, you see…filling the loneliness and the emptiness, and quelling the destruction, but with you…your power comes from your rage. No, mi amigo.”

Yammy’s brow furrowed deeply and Grimmjow looked at Starrk. In Starrk’s arms Ichigo woke and looked over at Yammy slowly. He shook his head and his throat rumbled with the sound of rejection. Yammy was the tenth espada when he wasn’t released. It was only when he released that he gained enough power to overshoot even primera.

It all happened faster than any of them could watch. Yammy released and the entire hallway around them collapsed in on top of them as his body mass increased seemingly exponentially. Grimmjow and Starrk both dropped together over Ichigo’s form.

“Son of a bitch!” Grimmjow yelled as he pulled his sword among the rubble. “Grind, Pantera!” he yelled and shot out of the rubble toward the rampaging Yammy. Starrk sighed deeply and called to Lillinette to come to him, it seemed he would have to release or Yammy would kill both Ichigo and Grimmjow. And that was certainly unacceptable. Starrk cleared away the rubble just as one of Yammy’s hands swiped downward and sent him flying away form Ichigo.

Ichigo looked up at the monstrous thing that Yammy had become. He sighed, eyes fluttering in the weakness that was still coursing through him from whatever the hell Szayel had done. Then, he was in the air and been squeezed by hands that were far too large to be real. He caught his breath and the call reverberated from his chest through the core of his being, and there was not a thing in Las Noches that didn’t hear it this time.


	9. The Beast of Rage

Ichigo’s eyes opened and he was in his inner world, staring at the white hollow. He sighed.

“Well, now we’re in a fix,” the hollow said with a sigh, hands on his hips.

Ichigo sighed to mimic him. “Yeah, so now what?”

“Well, you could accept him…” he said, crossing his arms.

“Can’t, dumb ass, I already rejected him, besides he’s not compatabile,” Ichigo said with a frown.

“Only because your human side refuses him, he’s powerful enough to at least let him have a fuck, then don’t choose him,” the hollow said with a growl.

Ichigo stared at him. “Too late now, should have mentioned that before I rejected him.”

“Well, there’s only one thing to do. Cut the heat off now, let me take over with Zangetsu and kick his ass six ways from Sunday and then you pick your mates right now when the fight is over,” he said with a sigh.

“What, you can do that?” Ichigo said, glaring at the hollow.

“Yeah, but the only way is for me to release Zangetsu. And to do that, I have to take over, completely, meaning you’ll be along for the ride with no input into what happens, and it will be quite apparent what I am when I do it. Nothing like when I took over during the little training session,” he said with a frown.

Ichigo felt pain shoot through his ribcage. “If I don’t, he’s going to kill me.”

The hollow nodded. “Actually, if I don’t take over and trigger the instant regeneration, yer gonna die anyway, he’s already crushed several major things that won’t heal.”

Ichigo groaned. “Try not to kill anyone except this monsterous bastard, please,” he said, eyes fluttering shut.

The hollow caught him as he fell and laid him down gently. “I’ll try, but no promises,” the hollow said with a manic grin.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

The sound shook the very walls of Las Noches. Nnoitra was in the dining room with Tesla arguing with Gin about something. He blinked and without warning released his resurreccion. Gin stepped back.

“No release in here,” Gin said, glaring at the six armed fiend.

“Ah, but I got a fight…” he said and was gone, Tesla disappearing after him.

Ulquiorra was in his rooms and heard the sound, his own release triggered immediately. Before he even had a chance to think, he was standing in the empty area that used to be a corridor staring up at Yammy who was holding the limp beta in two hands and holding off Grimmjow with his tail. He felt something unfamiliar at the sight, a rushing need to defend something important. It was something he’d never felt. Again, there was little thought as he flew into Yammy’s face.

Shinji and Kensei were startled out of sleep and both were off, masks already on their faces before they even got out of the door. Rukia and Renji followed them immediately. They’d been told what the sound meant the last time they heard it. Uryu and Orihime were both occupied in the next room and were soon racing out the door with Urahara on their heels.

“This isn’t a normal call,” Urahara said as he flashed beside Uryu who held Orihime as he moved. “This is a life or death call. Something major…”

At that moment they came out of their speedy movements and gaped at the sight. Ulquiorra, Starrk, Nnoitra, and Grimmjow were all in forms they hadn’t seen before, and were fighting a monster that could only be described as enormous. They vaguely recognized the espada Yammy. A second later, the espada were joined by both Vizard. The monstrerous creature was clutching a limp Ichigo in his left hand and batting away those that attacked with his right, effortlessly. Above them, a call was heard, “Kick About, Los Lobos…” and there was a rush of reiatsu that sent them all to their knees momentarily. They look up to see Starrk had released and was wielding…a gun? Yes, a gun…that shot ceros…. That made the gathered shinigami and humans stare. He was also arguing with the gun. He dropped beside the group.

“Amigos, this is muy bad, mi amor está en peligro. Can you help? Yammy…he is cero espada, more powerful than me when he is like this,” Starrk said, watching as Grimmjow was slammed away with such power that blood sprayed them as flew into a pile of rubble behind them.

Uryu nodded. “I can try,” he said, sucking in a breath and summoning his bow.

“I can heal him if you get him to me,” Orihime said as behind her Renji was already summoning his bankai. Rukia summoned her shikai and started trying to stop the monster’s movements with ice. Even with all of them together, they were pressed back.

Starrk was worried, he’d lost Ichigo’s reiatsu long ago, and he hadn’t felt it surge. He had to get to him, and at least get him out of Yammy’s grip. Then, something happened. Ichigo’s reiatsu pulsed, strong. Everyone that was fighting stopped and stared upward. Even Yammy had stopped, all his numerous legs pausing in trying to stomp the espada. Then the manic laugher began from Ichigo’s body that began to pulse again, sending waves of powerful reiatsu that was vaguely familiar.

His voice was high, different, almost giggling, “No, no, Yammy, Espada number ten or zero or whatever the _fuck_ you think you are. My king already told you no, and when will you _fuckers_ figure out that no means fucking no. You aren’t worth my king’s time, teme. You are so not even worth me coming out to play, but you fucking broke all the goddamned bones in my fucking body, goddamned fucking bastard son of a _bitch!”_

On the last word a ball of power exploded outward and left everyone, even Starrk, pushed backward or to the ground. Everyone stared. Ichigo had changed and stood above Yammy’s head. Yammy’s arm was completely obliterated by some power. But the Ichigo that stood there… He was laughing again, high pitched and manic, and held a slim black sword high.

“He has Zangetsu…” Rukia said and turned to look at the others. “You said he couldn’t summon his zanpakuto until the heat was finished.”

Starrk stood near the shinigami, and was soon joined by the two vizard, and Ulquiorra who was dragging an injured Grimmjow. “What the fuck is that?” Grimmjow gasped.

Starrk smiled and yawned. “That, mis amigos, is Ichigo’s hollow. Esta un vasto lorde.”

A second later Ichigo dropped to the floor beside them and grinned behind the full mask, the red eyes glaring at them. He blinked and the red faded for a second. Ichigo’s voice came muffled, but his own.

“Stay back, all of you, he’s taking full control, I’m…” he jerked.

“Fuck king, shut up. I got this shit,” came the high pitched voice as he raised a hand that was rapidly turned white and spun Zangetsu around his head as the transformation continued, his hair lengthening, and the hands and feet changing to become clawed and the rings of orange hair tufted his wrists and ankles. A hollow hole had erupted in the center of his chest amid black markings.

He crouched and sprang upward and landed on Yammy’s back. He then ran and laughed as charged a cero between his horns and blasted one after another into Yammy’s body. Yammy’s huge form couldn’t keep up with the rapidly moving hollow, and before long he’d almost entirely removed the legs on the right side of his body. Blood was flowing and Yammy was trying to shoot ceros at Ichigo but he was simply too fast, almost seeming to teleport instead of sonido. Yammy was at a disadvantage because of his size and the missing arm. And Ichigo’s hollow was taking full advantage. The other espada, shinigami and humans stood protected by Urahara and Inoue’s shields, and if it hadn’t been for that, none would have survived the destruction, even the primera.

Between the dust and the constant roar of falling debris, the others were losing track of Ichigo. He was in sight just long enough for them to register that he was indeed there, and then gone. The espada were amazed. Nnoitra and Tesla had come and stood behind the shield after the one of Ichigo’s ceros had taken off one of Nnoitra’s six arms. He was surprised that his cero could pierce his hierro to start with. So now he watched because it was quite obvious in their fight there would be one victor, and that Yammy would not be it.

There was a crashing sound and they sword that a square mile of Las Noches had been brought down by now. But Ichigo appeared above them again, and giggled. “Play time is over, cero. I’m done with your weak ass. See, this is why you were denied. I can beat you too fucking easy, teme. I’m fucking _done._ ” He then raised the sword and spun. “Getsuga Tenshou, mother fucker,” he said with a grin, a spiraling blackness streaked with brilliant red flew out with such speed that Yammy didn’t get to move before it drilled through his chest in a ghastly spiral of blood.

Ichigo landed and flung the blood off the sword just as three figures appeared behind the shinigami. He looked up and tilted his head to the side.

“Aww, hi there Aizen-teme,” Ichigo said, and the others turned to face the man in charge of Las Noches who was staring at the carnage.

Ichigo put Zangetsu on his back and popped his neck. “King, come join the party,” he said. “I’m done. Healed what that fucker did. And he thought he had a fucking chance.”

The red eyes faded into brown and the full face mask shattered, but the rest of Ichigo remained the same, the white skin and feral features remained. “That…hurt,” he muttered and dropped to his knees, surrounded by the alphas almost immediately.

“Is this done?” Aizen said, staring around him. “I should kill every one of you and begin again with new espada. In less than week, you’ve managed to destroy a good quarter of Las Noches, and kill the cero and segunda espada in the process, along with Barragan’s fraccion. I gave you this…indulgence. But this ends now.”

Gin glanced at the group and back to Aizen, and the look on his face betrayed the fear that lay under the surface. Gin had seen Ulquiorra turn on him with just a small threat. United, even Aizen could not keep control of the espada. They looked up and heard sonidos. Above them, Halibel appeared with her fraccion. Szayel had also appeared nearby, arms crossed over his thin body and his fraccion. Gin knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they were not here for Aizen. And the four espada standing with Ichigo were still in resureccion.

Starrk rolled his head around a bit and scratched his head with one of his guns. “Aizen-sama, I fear that this is notice, we are…how do I say…no longer yours to command.”

Aizen frowned and looked around. “What?”

Starrk sighed and yawned again. “Ah, this wearies me. Ichigo, mi preciouso? Have you chosen?”

Ichigo nodded. “The hollow had to end it early. I’ve made my choice.”

Ichigo walked up to Shinji and hugged him. “Shinji, I cannot take you away from the vizard and the world of the living. As you can see, I…have to remain here or in Soul Society at best. This…is my form now. I cannot return except for short periods in my human body. The hollow has become too strong. I love you deeply and truly, and I want you to be happy, and you need to be with Hiyori and the others, and hopefully, be returned to soul society to fill some vacant positions. They need you.”

Shinji kissed his cheek and smiled. “I know, Ichigo. I knew all along I think.”

Ichigo turned to Kensei and hugged him. “And as you can imagine, my reasons are the same for you, Kensei. I can’t take you from soul society. For they need you as much as they need Shinji. I know a certain lieutenant with a sixty-nine tattooed on his cheek that will be very pleased to see you again.”

Kensei nodded and kissed Ichigo’s forehead. “I was shocked you’d consider me. I’m not near as powerful as them.”

“Power…that’s not all there is. I’m half human, after all,” Ichigo said with a nod.

He turned to the four espada he’d taken as potential mates. “I had to choose among you. But not in the way you thin. I have more power than I knew, as you saw, and that means that there is more than one choice I made. All four of you are worthy, but I could not take you all.”

He turned to Nnoitra and Tesla. “Nnoitra, you are worthy, powerful, but…you of all match my human side least of all. So it is the reason I did not choose you. I would ask you remain with me, much as I will ask of Hallibel, Zommari, and Szayel.”

Nnoitra nodded. “Give me a fight now and then, and I’ll stay with you, beta.”

Aizen by now was livid. “Stay with him? What does that mean? You will stay with me, I made you all!”

Ichigo turned and glanced at Aizen. “You may have helped make them, but they are no longer yours to command. No, Hueco Mundo is no longer yours to command, Aizen. You made a mistake, you didn’t count on the power of those that inhabit the lands you sought to control, much like Barragan. You underestimated something. What you thought was weak, turns out to be the thing that will bring you down. The bonds you forced on your espada, they don’t last. They are the kind of bonds I’ve forged with them.”

“Basically, you have control because you let them fuck you?” Aizen said, brows meeting. Ichigo smiled and shook his head.

“Grimmjow,” he said and the sexta’s breath caught. If anyone else was eliminated it would be him. Ichigo walked to him and pulled him down and whispered in his ear. He blinked and stood staring. Ichigo then walked over to Ulquiorra and whispered something to him, and then moved to Starrk. Starrk smiled and threw a wink at Grimmjow before he kissed the top of Ichigo’s head.

“Kings of Hueco Mundo…” Starrk said. “I’d say that has a nice ring, mijo,” he said, pointing his guns at Aizen. “And now, shinigami, you should go.”

Aizen frowned. “What? I rule you!” he said.

Starrk shook his head. “No longer. The espada are under the true kings of Heuco Mundo. They will answer to us and the kings’ consort.”

The gathered shinigami stared open mouthed at the scene. No one knew what to do. Urahara knew the hogyuku would have to be dealt with. But how?

Ichigo moved then, and with a sound was in front of Aizen, ripping open the front of his kusodo to reveal the glowing orb embedded into his chest. He glared down but before he could move, Ichigo had sunk his claws into his chest and ripped the orb free of the confines. Aizen stumbled back and Ichigo was gone, standing where he had begun, beside Starrk, staring at the blue orb in his hand that dripped blood down his white arms. Urahara’s gaze went between the two.

“I’ve become the master of the hogyuku,” Ichigo said, staring into the depths. “It has abandoned you, Aizen. It recognizes true power.”

Ichigo put the orb against his chest above the hollow hole and closed his eyes as it disappeared with a blue flash. His chest was unmarred save for the black streaks and black mark where the hollow hole had been moments before. He turned to the others and smiled and the three espada standing near him groaned and wobbled on their feet momentarily. Grimmjow reached down to find his hollow hole was gone, replaced as with Ichigo with a deep black circle. Ulquiorra had found a similar thing, as had Starrk, though Grimmjow’s was in full view of all those present.

“What…” Grimmjow said, blinking.

Ichigo’s head tilted to the side. “My mates are closer to human than normal arrancar,” he said simply. “And so you will suffer not from a lack of heart any longer, because it was already there, the hole was a symbol. Only those with a heart would attract my attention. Yammy was nothing but rage incarnate.”

“Wait, you chose _three_?” came Rukia’s voice.

Ichigo turned and nodded. “I did. I need three. At the height of my power, I will need all three to counterbalance me. There is one for each of me.”

Grimmjow looked at him with a frown. “One for each of you?” he asked.

Ichigo glanced at the shocked looking Tousen and Gin and the rapidly dying Aizen. Without the hogyuku, his life force was collapsing quickly. Even Inoue would not be able to save him.

“One for the shinigami,” he said, smiling at Grimmjow. “One for the Hollow,” he said smiling at Ulquiorra. “And one for the Quincy,” he said smiling at Stark.

There was a pause and then everyone looked at him. “Quincy?” Uryu asked, finding his voice first.

Urahara snickered and the others glared. “Yes, well, I wasn’t going to mention it, but yes, his mother was a Quincy, Uryu-san, actually he’s your cousin…then the fact he’s a Shiba…”

Rukia turned now. “What?”

Urahara gave her his best unassuming shopkeeper look. “I cannot help it if his father was in hiding with his shinigami powers sealed and asked me to train his son. Kaien Shiba was his uncle, Rukia-san. I’m sure you noticed how much he resembled your lieutenant.”

Renji and Rukia exchanged glances. Ichigo shrugged. “I suppose it makes me a good diplomat between the world of the living, soul society, and Heuco Mundo. I’m of all three worlds, and it is only natural that I have three mates now.”

Ichigo turned to Urahara. “Do what you will with them, but I think it best you remove them.”  
                Ichigo turned smiled at the three alphas he’d chosen. “Why did you have to make choosing so damn hard?” he asked no one in particular. “But I think…I need a nap.”

With that, he collapsed. Of course, he didn’t hit the ground. There were three alphas there to catch him, and as soon as they came near, three ribbons of reiatsu rose up and crashed down into his unconscious form, absorbed and he smiled pleasantly surrounded by the careful arms.


	10. Consort to Three Kings

Ichigo was awakened by kisses. It was pleasant and comfortable. A need was coiling inside him that had to be answered. He’d chosen, and now he would give them what they desired, a chance at becoming the sire to the most powerful arrancar to be born in the last few hundred years. The instincts were coiling and burning through him. He groaned and felt lips everywhere it seemed. He was warm and felt so very good. He moaned out loud and opened his eyes finally to lock on with viridian ones. Ulquiorra was kneeling over him, hands on either side of his head, knees on either side of his waist. He grinned at the previously emotionless espada. He was definitely no longer emotionless, though Ichigo was sure that he would be the only one to see the things that played across his eyes as he stared down in his brown ones.

“This is so weird,” Ichigo said, sighing.

“The whole bearing cubs thing?” Grimmjow said, untying the obi at his waist and sliding his fingers under the hakama under it.

Ichigo moaned as he felt Starrk’s hands slip over his chest and pinch his nipples gently. He blinked and looked up past Ulquiorra’s face and saw Starrk sitting on his knees at his head, his hands roaming under the kusodo. “Mi amor,” Starrk said. “It is natural, you will see. The hollow, it has no gender, it is only instinct.”

By now, Ulquiorra was tired of being ignored and he leaned down and locked his lips onto Ichigo’s with a groan of satisfaction as he began to plunder his mouth in earnest. When they’d been together before, he didn’t have this intensity, but now he was intent it seemed on exploring every inch of Ichigo’s mouth with his tongue. Starrk grinned over the smallest of their number at Grimmjow who had locked eyes with him. Grimmjow grinned and finished stripping the clothing off the writhing beta. They knew that the instinct to be knotted was roiling inside him, the need to take the final step with his alphas…

Grimmjow dropped to his chest on the floor, as they were among the massive pillows belonging to Starrk at the moment, and pulled both Ichigo’s legs up and over his shoulders as he moved and swallowed him in one swift motion to the base. There was a choked sound from him but Grimmjow merely hummed as his fingers slipped in underneath and into his warm heat. The bucking of his hips involuntarily told Grimmjow all he needed to know. Before long, he had three fingers buried in him and he was getting harder and harder to keep still. He pulled away and moved upward, yanking his body downward from underneath Ulquiorra’s. Ulquiorra moved with him, keeping his mouth on his he moved. Starrk grinned and moved around behind Grimmjow.

Ichigo was panting already and it was obvious his mind was not in reality but consumed with lust and desire. Grimmjow gripped him by the hips, pulling him backward into his lap and without warning burying himself all the way into his warmth. Ichigo’s head flopped back and he gasped as Ulquiorra moved and dropped down and took him completely in his mouth this time, working his throat around him until he was whimpering in need. Starrk smiled and reached around Grimmjow and began to pet his chest and pinch his pert nipples that were becoming more and more sensitive. Ulquiorra had his hand gripped on the base of his cock though, staving off the orgasm that was threatening to overtake the beta completely.

Grimmjow whispered hoarsely in his ear, “Relax, my pet. The knot will hurt a bit, I’m feline, remember, so, just be still and do not move too much.”

Ichigo took a moment to think and said suddenly, “What?” as a swelling took place in the base of Grimmjow’s member and something pricked painfully inside him. He squirmed and gasped at the increase in the pain. “What…what is that…” he said stilling against him.

Starrk petted him as Ulquiorra continued to lick at his flagging arousal, and then sucked him in as the hardness began the return. “Hush, mi amor, Grimmjow’s mating won’t last long, esta un gato, so there are spines when he mates, and mine may be uncomfortable too…but it will not last long. It is only because of los animales.”

Ichigo nodded and found that whatever the barbs or spines or whatever they were pressing into was making him more aroused by the second. He began to moan as he felt a sudden and violent orgasm coming onto him. He had never felt anything so intense as he came hard down Ulquiorra’s throat. He buried his hands in his black hair and panted hard as he felt Grimmjow explode inside him suddenly and blue reiatsu flared brightly around him. Thankfully the barbs retracted as quickly as they had emerged and the knot dissipated. Grimmjow pulled away and fell back into the pillows. Only once in his life had he done that, and his mate had died weeks afterward before the kits were born.

Just as quickly, Starrk had Ichigo pulled up from the floor and flipped on his stomach and slipped into him and let the building feeling swell over and the bulb swelled. Ichigo groaned, falling forward onto his forearms at the strange expanding sensation. Unlike Grimmjow, though, the knot was larger and wasn’t spined. Ulquiorra moved around and lifted Ichigo’s head and the beta looked up with fogged eyes for a second before opening his mouth and accepting him into his own mouth, sucking hard as Starrk moved in subtle ways that pressed against every right place inside him.   Grimmjow was watching but he knew he was completely incapable of even thinking of doing anything for a while. Finally, the stimulation send Ichigo over again as the knot pressed against his already sensitive sweet spot. He swallowed convulsively, and Ulquiorra had to grip himself to hold on longer. Starrk let out a long drawn out moan and filled the beta, his own reiatsu exploding around them so strong that it sent even Ulquiorra reeling backward out of Ichigo’s mouth.

Starrk groaned and held him up against him and pulled away. Immediately, Ulquiorra rolled him over to his back and latched his mouth on his neck and sunk his already throbbing arousal into the depths within the beta. Ichigo threw his head back and wondered what bats did when mating… He only noticed an increase in his size that made thrusting more difficult, it seemed, but that was all. Apparently bats don’t knot like cats and dogs, Ichigo thought to himself as Ulquiorra’s pace set him rocking. The friction against the quarta espada’s body send him over for the third time, something he was impressed with to be honest, and Ulquiorra followed almost instantly, the green reiatsu flaring and slamming into him. Ichigo’s eyes fluttered and he passed out completely, unable to keep his eyes or body awake any longer.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-ooooo-

                Rukia came out of the shoten and nearly ran into Grimmjow, who was crouching beside the steps.

                “What are you doing here?” she asked, frowning.

                “Shhh!” he said, waving at her. “He doesn’t know I’m here…”

                “Grimmjow Jagerjaquez!” came Ichigo’s voice and Grimmjow grimaced and looked up to see Starrk and Ichigo standing there.

                Rukia began to snicker. The serious look on Ichigo’s face in combination with the cowering sixth espada was too much for her. Not to mention the huge belly he was currently sporting in preparation for the birth of the cubs/kits/pups, whatever they were calling them, within the next few days.

                “Ichigo, shouldn’t you be back at Las Noches getting ready for the arrival?” she said, staring at him. He was wearing a longer version of his normal Kusodo.

                He snorted. “I’m looking for him,” he said, glaring at the blue haired espada. “He ran off…”

                “Grimmjow,” Rukia said, turning to him. “It is bad form to leave your very pregnant mate.”

                He snorted. “Well he won’t quit nagging me, I had to get away for a little while!” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Thought I might stay with Getabishi for a while.”

                Ichigo glared at him. “You’re just grumpy because I’m not in the mood for sex right now.”

                Rukia rubbed her head. “I really don’t want to hear…”

                “No, you want too much out of me!” he said. “I’m not gonna be a good father, let Starrk and Ulquiorra take care of them; you know I’m too violent.”

                Ichigo looked at him a long time. “That’s what this is about?”

                Grimmjow looked sheepish. “What do you mean?”

                “You’re nervous about being a father?” Ichigo said, moving forward and looking up at the taller arrancar. “You are going to do just fine, love. Don’t worry.”

                “But what if I mess everything up; I mean I’m not exactly…” Grimmjow started.

                “Cats are good parents, and if I have to put up with the stupid barbs on your cock, you are going to stick around for the kids that result from it!” Ichigo said staring at him for a long moment, voice brokering no arugment from his errant mate.

                “I caught the last of that, something about ‘barbs on your cock’?” Renji said, coming up beside Rukia.

                Ichigo rolled his eyes. “He’s a feline hollow. When he actually ‘mates’, he has barbs on the knot on his damn cock. Hurts like a bitch at first, too.”

                Renji nodded. “That’s…something. Is he the only one that does weird shit?” he asked. Rukia slapped his arm and glared at him.

                Ichigo shook his head. “Nah, this big ass bastard has a knot too, but at least it doesn’t have barbs, and Ulqui just gets a lot bigger… But that only happens during the real mating, not during the fun sex.”

                Renji had an apple and took a bight. “So there’s fun sex and mating sex?”

                “Renji!” Rukia said, glaring at him harder. “It is not my interest to learn about Ichigo’s sex life.”

                Renji shrugged. “What, I’m curious. I mean, not like I’ve ever had it up the ass to start with, then to have something with barbs on it…sounds not sexy.”

                “Yeah, but oh my gods, nothing beat the orgasm it gave me…good gods I thought I would never stop coming from whatever the hell those barbs were doing…” Ichigo said thoughtfully, chewing on his thumbnail.

                Rukia paled. “Ew, ew, no details!” she said waving her hands.

                Just then, a garganta opened and they looked up as Ulquiorra came down with a sonido. “The group from Soul Society has arrived, Ichigo. They’re waiting for us.”

                Ichigo nodded and stomped over to where Grimmjow was still standing with his arms crossed and reached up and grabbed his ear and yanked him after him.

                “Ichi! Ow, ow!” he complained, stumbling as the smaller male pulled him.

                “You are coming home, and you are going to see your kit, and you are going to be a fine father, and if you do this again, I will definitely cut off your cock and put it in a jar to remind you of the fact you’ll never get to fuck me again, got it?” he said, dragging him into the garganta.

                “Ichi!” Grimmjow moaned as the garganta closed behind them. Starrk shook his head and waved at the shinigami who had come when they felt the arrancar enter the world of the living.

                “What was that about?” Ishida said from beside the building.

                “Grimmjow got cold feet and ran off. Ichigo was not happy,” Renji said with a nod. “He was mad enough to threaten him with no sex.”

                Ishida grimaced. “That’s definitely not…”

                “Oh!” Urahara said coming out the door. “Ichigo’s having the babies!”

                Rukia frowned. “But he was just here!”

                Urahara nodded. “Yes, yes, I guess the stress of going through the garganta triggered his labor, who wants to go with me? I’ve never seen this before!”

                Before long, they were heading through the basement and into Hueco Mundo. Urahara, Yourichi, Renji, Rukia, Orihime, Chad and Ishida had all come for the event. As soon as they entered the compound they heard Ichigo yelling at one of his mates. Starrk came out and glanced at them.

                “You are just in time, he is almost done berating us, and the birthing canal has formed,” he said, leading them into a room that used to be used as Szayel’s lab, but had been converted to a medical bay. Szayel was standing to the side.  

                Rukia looked at Ichigo who was pacing the room angrily. “Birth canal?” she asked.

                Starrk smiled. “Yes, the hollow has no gender, so no way to birth, even the females have the appearance of organs but they are non-functional. The babies are created in a reiatsu chamber, and at birth, reiatsu creates a birthing canal in the body much like it created the reiatsu chamber to hold the babies.”

                Ichigo would stop every few moments to hold his burgeoning abdomen and groan. Then he’d continue to pace. He looked up and realized that his friends had come and he smiled then grimaced.

                “Hey!” he said after a moment and then panted. “Come to watch the show?” he asked with a smirk.

                Orihime went over and used her sun sun riki. “Oh, Ichigo, they’re doing good, you haven’t got much longer,” she said with a smile.

                “Good, because this fucking huuuurts…” he said, moaning the last as his body tensed. “I don’t know if this is what human women feel…but fuuuuuck…”

                Szayel came over and looked at the instruments. “It is similar. The difference is a human female’s body is designed for birth. Your body is not. And your body is not entirely that of a hollow. So I don’t know how much pain it will put you in.”

                Grimmjow came in with an armload full of blankets and pillows that he dumped near where Ichigo was standing. Ichigo glared at him.

                “This is your fault, bastard!” he said. Grimmjow just looked at the floor. “You and your fuckin’ barbed cock and cat shiiiiiit…” He moaned again and Grimmjow held him up as he wobbled on his feet.

                Starrk returned with another armload of bedding. Ichigo was apparently going to be equal opportunity with his berating of his mates. “And you with your fuckin’ dog balled cock, I swear if you ever knot with me and get me knocked up again I’m going to feed your balls to Grimmjow!” Starrk nodded and mumbled ascent of some sort and helped Grimmjow lay him in the pile of blankets.

                Ulquiorra came in next with some more pillows and got the same glare from Ichigo. “Fuck you too! If you ever get to fuck me again, it will be a goddamned miracle!”

                There was no apparent reaction in the stoic looking arrancar. Ichigo’s paler than normal skin was flushed red on his face and chest as they stripped away his clothing and draped a sheet over him as he burrowed into the blankets and pillows, all three mates hovering at the edges. Then, he stopped yelling at them as the hardest part of his labor began. Szayel informed the others he was there for emergency only because the alphas and Ichigo had to imprint the young at birth. Before long, the alphas were waiting as Ichigo managed to position himself comfortably to birth them, and soon, there were three mewling creatures being cleaned off by three proud fathers. To Szayel’s surprise, Ichigo had conceived with all three of the alphas, and thus each one had a child that looked after then.

                Grimmjow held up a little female with a set of blue cat ears set in a mop of unruly orange hair. She had a long windy tail that was striped blue and orange and a pair of brown, molten eyes. Under her eyes were blue markings just like Grimmjow’s. Starrk was holding a little creature with big brown eyes and brunette hair. He looked a lot like his father, except the distinct facial features of Ichigo and the eyes. A pair of puppy ears that were bright orange graced his little head. Finally, Ulquiorra was holding a very tiny little boy that had a set of bat wings and bright orange and black streaked hair with a pair of piercing green eyes. He had the red facial markings that Ichigo had on his mask, and had his father’s nearly white skin.

                Ichigo lay sleepily watching as the three babies played with their fathers. He grinned at his friends and he fell completely unconscious. Monitors beeped and Szayel was moving, checking him over, concerned.

                “I think he’ll be fine, he’s just over exhausted. Birthing three isn’t easy. Looks like the birthing canal and reiatsu chamber have both dissipated. Best he can do is rest, and you guys…” he said, looking at the naked babies being played with. “I have no idea what they eat.”

                “We agreed to try human formulas first. Ichigo doesn’t produce milk like human females, and hollow babies normally consume souls…but we’re going to put that off,” Grimmjow said, retrieving the supply back.

                Soon, the three babies were diapered, fed, and sleeping snuggled in against Ichigo among the pillows of the birthing nest. Starrk laid down beside him, soon followed by Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. The visitors were all shown to quarters for the night, and everyone fell into very exhausted sleep.

                “Mi amor, why do you not sleep?” Starrk whispered, looking down into Ichigo’s big brown eyes.

                “Thinking,” he said smiling. “I think we should name your pup Taro because he was born first, and Aoi should be Grimmy’s kitten because she’s got so much blue in her fur and Takao for the littlest one. I think he’ll be quite the little hero when he grows up.”

                Starrk smiled and kissed his head gently. “Mi amor, so beaufitul, mi amor.”

                Ichigo yawned and fell asleep in his arms, and for the first time in a very long time, he had no fear of the future and only wanted to wake the next day to spend it with his mates and his precious babies. Who would have guessed things would end this way when almost nine months ago he was drug to Hueco Mundo? He honestly couldn’t have been happier as he fell into a restful slumber.

* * *

 

[ ](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/)

Grimmjow and Aoi  <http://nelleri.tumblr.com/>

[ ](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/)

Starrk and Taro <http://nelleri.tumblr.com/>

 

[ ](http://nelleri.tumblr.com/)

Ulquiorra and Takeo by <http://nelleri.tumblr.com/>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the last chapter of Unexpected Kingdom, loyal readers. I hope you enjoyed the ride and keep an eye out because I’ll eventually give this a re-edit and fix any mistakes and probably add content, but if I do so, I’ll add an Epilogue and leave a note to let you guys know I’ve changed things.
> 
> A couple people have noted similarities between this story and my new Alpha/Beta titled Extraneous Variables. EV is basically an alternative universe of this fic at the request of a fan of that story. I am collabing with them to tailor the new version to their liking. So if you see similarities, you are right. For now, on with the last chapter of UK! I will probably write a ten chapter sequel in the future.


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